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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23069422">I Wish You Could See What I See When I Look at You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbhorrentGodliness/pseuds/AbhorrentGodliness'>AbhorrentGodliness</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Biting, Blow Jobs, Breast Fucking, Come Swallowing, Cunnilingus, Deepthroating, Demon Summoning, Demons, Dirty Talk, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Face-Fucking, Face-Sitting, Fist Fights, Grief/Mourning, Light Dom/sub, Multiple Orgasms, Oral Sex, POV Third Person, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spells &amp; Enchantments, Touching, Witchcraft, nora being a creep</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:47:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23069422</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbhorrentGodliness/pseuds/AbhorrentGodliness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Piper pulled a book from her bag, setting it in front of Nora as she sat down beside the reporter. The binding and cover were made of old, thick, brown leather, and there was something written on the front of it in another language—it looked like Latin, but she was unable to translate it. While Nora knew some Latin words and phrases because of her schooling and job as a lawyer, whatever this said was far beyond her.</p><p>“So, basically,” her friend started, “You pick who you want to summon, we recite the spell, and then they should appear.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arthur Maxson/Female Sole Survivor, Arthur Maxson/Sole Survivor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Summoning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“All I’m saying is that you’ve been completely alone since Nate died and you need a good fucking.”</p><p>
  <em>”Piper.”</em>
</p><p>“I’m sorry, Nora, but you know I’m right! He’s been dead for almost a year now and you haven’t even tried to hook up with anyone.”</p><p>“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don’t <em>want</em> to hook up with anyone? Or even <em>date?”</em></p><p>Piper narrowed her eyes while the look on her face clearly said she didn’t believe the words. “Look, if it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work; but if it does… well, then you’ll have the best sex of your life.”</p><p>Nora shot her a glare.</p><p>“No offense, Nate. I’m sure he was great in bed,” the reporter quickly added as she crossed herself.</p><p>Rolling her eyes, Nora moved to sit on the couch, flopping down onto it. “What is your obsession with me doing this, anyway?”</p><p><em>”Seriously!?”</em> her friend shrieked; she couldn’t help but wince at the loud noise. “You either lock yourself in your apartment or you go to work for extended hours, that’s it. Nothing else. You don’t even go out with me anymore! Hell, even that cute guy next door who’s been pining after you since you moved in has been asking if you’re ever going to be interested in looking for someone.”</p><p><em>”Please</em> do not tell me you talk to MacCready about me.”</p><p>“Hey, look, I talk to everyone, okay?”</p><p>
  <em>”Piper.”</em>
</p><p>“Come on, Nora, just try it. I know you don’t believe it’ll work and that’s fine, but it’s worth a shot, right? It’s either this or you go fuck MacCready so he stops being <em>MacCreepy.”</em></p><p>“If I do this stupid thing, will you shut up about my sex life?” Nora growled as she laid back on the sofa, sprawling out.</p><p>“Absolutely not, but I will back off for a few days, probably. Maybe.”</p><p>“Jesus Christ, <em>fine.”</em></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <h3>
    <strong>♔ ═══════ ♡ ═══════ ♕</strong>
  </h3>
</div><p>“I’m not wearing that,” Nora hissed. “Don’t you dare put it—goddamnit, Piper.”</p><p>A witch hat. Of course. Because if there was anything worse than agreeing to perform some bogus summoning spell with your best friend, it was agreeing to perform some bogus summoning spell with your best friend while being forced to wear a fucking <em>witch hat.</em></p><p>Whatever. If this got Piper off her ass for a while, then so be it. She’d do what she had to do.</p><p>But as she stood there watching her friend set up the spot that they were going to be doing the spell at—drawing some upside-down pentagram thing onto her nice hardwood floors in chalk with different items at each point—Nora was beginning to feel even more ridiculous by the second. How the fuck did she let herself get talked into this?</p><p>“Do you even know what you’re doing?”</p><p>“Uhhh… mostly.”</p><p>“Wait, so, assuming this works—which it won’t—but assuming it <em>does,</em> the fact you don’t even know what you’re doing means we could just be summoning some demon that would gladly <em>eat me!”</em></p><p>“Oh, he’s definitely gonna eat you, alright,” the other woman mumbled.</p><p>
  <em>”Piper.”</em>
</p><p>The reporter flashed her a grin. “Come here and look at this with me,” she said, waving for Nora to sit beside her.</p><p>As soon as they were next to one another on the floor, Piper pulled a book from her bag, setting it in front of them both. The binding and cover were made of old, thick, brown leather, and there was something written on the front of it in another language—it looked like Latin, but she was unable to translate it. While she knew some Latin words and phrases because of her schooling and job as a lawyer, whatever this said was far beyond her.</p><p>“Where did you even get this?” Nora asked as she opened the book. Everything inside was handwritten, though it was a mixture between Latin and English, the English being written in the margins and in a different style of handwriting than the other language. By someone other than the original author, maybe? Perhaps a translator.</p><p>“Bought it from some old lady at this witchcraft shop downtown,” Piper replied with a shrug, quickly flipping through the pages.</p><p>Nora’s eyes grew wide. <em>”Witchcraft shop!?”</em> she squeaked. “That shit is <em>illegal,</em> Piper! Are you <em>trying</em> to get yourself locked up or killed!?”</p><p>The other woman gave her an unimpressed look. “Blue, have you even looked at your bookshelf lately? All those <em>illegal</em> books about commu—”</p><p>“Okay, okay, okay, enough,” the lawyer sighed, running a hand down her face. “Just… promise me you won’t go back there. Please. I already lost my husband to this fucked up state—I don’t want to lose my best friend, too.”</p><p>An apologetic smile was flashed her way. “Yeah, alright. I promise,” the reporter replied, bumping shoulders with her before going back to flipping through pages.</p><p>After a few more seconds of doing so, Piper got to the section she wanted and stopped on two pages that had numerous drawings—all headshots—of different people. Names were written beside them with a few lines of text beneath each name; it was all in Latin, of course, but the English script in the margins detailed what was called a ‘summoning.’</p><p>“So, basically,” her friend started, “You pick who you want to summon, we recite the spell, and then they should appear.”</p><p>“… Appear?”</p><p>“Yup. Appear. Just like that.”</p><p>“This is so fucking ridiculous, oh my god.”</p><p>“Nora, come on, just humor me. What have you got to lose? Pick one.”</p><p>Sighing heavily and dramatically, Nora looked over the two pages of the book, studying each picture. The people in the drawings were extremely attractive, but…</p><p>“What’s the difference between them?”</p><p>“I dunno. Dick size? Boob size? Who knows? Just pick one.”</p><p>“But they’re all so… out of my league,” Nora quietly observed as she dragged her fingers over one of the sketches of a young woman who had her hair in a ponytail.</p><p>“Their literal existence is to fuck you regardless of what you look like. And, no, they’re not out of your league. Just pick one.”</p><p>“That sounds a lot like slavery,” the lawyer mumbled. “There are certainly some moral implications there—”</p><p>“I’m going to hit you if you don’t just <em>pick one.”</em></p><p>Pursing her lips, Nora studied each sketch, taking in their features. There were only a handful of them—three men and three women—but they were all <em>gorgeous.</em> Piper clearly had her eyes set on one of the men with the name ‘Rhys’ beside his picture. The guy was pretty, there was no denying that.</p><p>Looking at the women first, she took her time to admire their drawings. They were all beautiful—a young woman named Haylen, another who was a bit older named Neriah, and a third who was older than the last, named Cross.</p><p>The two men other than Rhys were just as breathtaking—Danse and Maxson. But the moment she laid her eyes on Maxson, she’d made her decision.</p><p>“This one,” Nora said quietly while running her fingers over his picture as if she’d be able to feel his features just from touching the drawing—as if she’d already be able to <em>know him.</em> Did she know him? Would she? He was… familiar. Somehow.</p><p>“Ooh, yeah, he’s pretty. I approve.”</p><p>“You’d approve regardless.”</p><p>“Very true. I just want you to be happy, is that so bad?”</p><p>Nora grumbled. “Let’s just get this over with.”</p><p>Piper read Maxson’s description before reaching into her bag and pulling out… a queen chess piece? It was black and sleek, and she placed it in the center of the upside-down pentagram. “Each one of them requires something specific. Apparently, this was his. I got all of their items just in case since I didn’t know who you’d choose, but I, uh… had a feeling.”</p><p>“Wait… what do you mean you <em>’had a feeling’?”</em></p><p><em>”Look at him,”</em> she said. “He has a lot of the same features as… well, you know.”</p><p>Nora’s eyes fell to the drawing again as she studied it—Piper was right. While he didn’t look like Nate, he was comparable in certain aspects: a thick beard, a similar haircut, an intense stare… it was obvious why she picked him, even if she didn’t realize it at first.</p><p>“Fuck,” she whispered.</p><p>“Hey, it’s alright,” Piper said quietly. “It’s not a big deal. Let me finish getting set up and we’ll get started.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <h3>
    <strong>♔ ═══════ ♡ ═══════ ♕</strong>
  </h3>
</div><p>The spell took a few tries to really get right, both women struggling to pronounce some of the words, but when they finally did it correctly—something happened. Nora was almost <em>certain</em> they’d been hit with an earthquake or that nuclear bombs had been dropped on Boston or that they’d just summoned Satan himself—and she wasn’t even <em>religious.</em> The entire building shook, lights flickered, Piper was loudly cackling like some evil movie villain while going off about how <em>’it worked!’</em></p><p>But… nothing happened after that. No one appeared, nothing changed. And after Nora clambered to the window to discover there were no bombs, no one panicking and running in the streets, no car alarms going off, no devil outside, she just shot a glare at her friend.</p><p><em>”See!?”</em> she hissed. “I told you it wouldn’t work!”</p><p>Piper’s shoulders fell in disappointment. “Look, I said it might not, okay? And it didn’t,” the reporter conceded, her voice sounding utterly defeated.</p><p>It wasn’t that <em>Nora</em> was disappointed the spell didn’t work—okay, maybe she was disappointed, but still. She had every right to be! The thought of some sex god or sex demon or whatever being summoned with the sole purpose of fucking her numb was just too good to be true and, despite how <em>stupid</em> it was, she’d gotten her hopes up. Which was usually how it happened with Piper.</p><p>Still, her friend was clearly upset, too, and began cleaning up the mess she’d made in order to summon whatever the hell it was from the spellbook, and Nora just plopped down on the couch, watching and refusing to help because she was <em>irritated.</em> She was allowed to be, right?</p><p>But as Piper was quiet while she finished cleaning, the lawyer realized she <em>might</em> have been a bit of an asshole to her best friend who was only trying to help her.</p><p>Maybe.</p><p>Goddamnit.</p><p>As soon as the other woman stood after having grabbed her things and putting them in the bag she’d brought, Nora followed her to the door. “Look, Pipes,” she started, sighing, “I’m not actually angry, alright?”</p><p>Piper turned to face her and gave a weak smile. “I know, I just wish it would have worked—I really was wanting to help. I told the truth when I said you’ve been lonely, Blue. Keeping yourself cooped up in here or overly-invested in your work isn’t healthy. I know you miss Nate and a year isn’t really that long, but you can’t keep punishing yourself for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”</p><p>Staring with furrowed eyebrows, Nora felt her chest nearly sink in. She knew her friend was right but that didn’t make it hurt any less.</p><p>But then she was suddenly pulled into a hug and it nearly knocked the breath out of her.</p><p>“Everything will be okay. And if, somehow, your sex god-slash-demon appears in the middle of the night or by morning, you better call me <em>first thing,</em> okay?”</p><p>Nora snorted. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be sure to do that.”</p><p>With a nod, Piper turned to leave, but stopped before she was fully through the doorway. “And, hey, Blue,” she said, turning around halfway. “You deserve to be happy, you know?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Nora quietly replied, her voice cracking and tears brimming in the corners of her eyes; she swallowed hard. “Thanks, Pipes. I mean it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Summoned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p><em>”Leave,”</em> Nora snarled. “And tell Piper this isn’t fucking funny.”</p><p>“Piper?” he asked; his tone sounded confused. “I don’t know who that is.”</p><p>What? That… didn’t make any sense. “What do you mean you don’t know who Piper is? She <em>clearly</em> sent you. How else would you know about the… the <em>book?”</em></p><p>“… Because I came out of it?”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room was bright—<em>too goddamn bright</em>—as the sun shined through the window, completely disregarding the shades and curtains like that wasn’t rude as hell. Nora groaned and swiped her hand at the rays that beamed down on her face before covering her head with her pillow, hoping that would give her some relief from the morning, but when she realized she was already <em>awake,</em> an annoyed huff escaped her and she sat up, glaring at the window.</p><p>Piper had taken the black curtains that previously covered the space down about six months ago and put up some lighter-colored ones, claiming Nora needed more sunlight in the apartment and that the darkness was too <em>depressing.</em> To be fair, her best friend wasn’t exactly <em>wrong,</em> but the black curtains had belonged to Nate and were brought over from the house he and Nora had bought together before he’d… well.</p><p>Sighing, she climbed out of bed, glancing over at the picture of her late husband that sat on her nightstand before exiting the bedroom to head to the kitchen so she could make some coffee. Really, she <em>hated</em> coffee, but it already felt like one of those mornings where she was going to need some sort of pick-me-up. Fuck, she’d just gotten out of bed, too.</p><p>While rubbing one eye, Nora made her way into the living room, giving a quick glance to the front door to ensure all the deadbolts were still locked as she did every time that she passed it—they were, thankfully—before she kept on toward the kitchen. Piper had cleaned up everything last night, including the chalk marks she’d made for the upside-down pentagram on the hardwood floor, so nothing was out of the ordinary. Well, other than the big ass naked guy who was just sprawled out on her couch with a giant fucking boner while he was reading a book.</p><p>Yawning, she stepped into the kitchen, heading toward the fridge to grab—</p><p>Wait, what?</p><p>There was a split second of doubt regarding if what she’d seen was actually there as she froze, blinking a couple times before slowly backing up a few steps and then turning around to look at the couch, hoping she’d just imagined it—</p><p>No, he was definitely there.</p><p>Oh, god.</p><p>Her phone was dropped from her hand and loudly clattered onto the hardwood floor, catching the man’s attention as he seemed deeply entranced by what he was reading, and he looked up from the book, tipping his head back to meet her gaze from an upside-down angle with a set of sky blue eyes.</p><p>“You’re awake.”</p><p>His voice was husky and it sounded as if he was almost <em>pleased</em> to see her, something she would have appreciated if he were there with her permission and hadn’t just broken into her house, gotten naked, sat his bare ass on her sofa, given himself a boner, and started reading one of her books like all of that was a completely normal fucking thing to do.</p><p>She froze in place, her heart pounding in her chest with a heavy <em>thump, thump, thump</em> that echoed in her ears. Could he hear it, too? Could <em>MacCready</em> hear it all the way in <em>his</em> apartment across the hall? It was like a rapid kickdrum that wouldn’t stop going nor even find a steady beat.</p><p>But as soon as her intruder sat up and started to stand—was that <em>Max</em> laying on his chest!? Fucking traitorous cat—Nora was yanked out of her momentary stupor and shrieked, the sound echoing throughout her apartment, and she darted away from him.</p><p>He was a large physical barrier between her and the front door, so escaping through there wasn’t an option. She might have been <em>small,</em> but she was also the opposite of quick and agile, so he’d easily catch her—besides, even if she’d managed to get past him, by the time she got all five deadbolts unlocked, he’d be on top of her. Literally. Which meant the next best thing was the bathroom even though the door had a weak fucking lock that the bastard would probably be able to break with his bare hands, but at least it was <em>something.</em> Some sort of barricade. Right?</p><p>Locking herself in, she pressed her back against the door, panting, eyes wide as she stared at the wall. This didn’t make any sense. How did he even get in her apartment!? She didn’t live on the bottom floor, always kept her windows locked, had five fucking deadbolts on her door that were <em>all still locked.</em> And the only other people who had keys were—</p><p>There were three light knocks on the door.</p><p>Nora’s breath caught in her chest. “Get—get out or I’ll… I’ll call the police!”</p><p>
  <em>Stupid. The cops won’t save you.</em>
</p><p>Her hand went down to her thigh, reaching for her phone in her pocket, only to realize she didn’t even have pockets—or <em>pants,</em> for that matter, since she’d not bothered to dress after waking up, still just wearing a tanktop and underwear—nor did she even have her fucking <em>phone.</em> Shit, she’d dropped it when she saw him; it was sitting on the kitchen floor, probably with a broken screen.</p><p>“That might not be a good idea,” the man said through the door.</p><p>“I’ll—I’ll call my neighbor! He has a gun!”</p><p>Her intruder made an irritated noise before she heard him shift outside the door, followed by a slight creak of wood—was he leaning against the doorframe? “I’m not here to hurt you. Did you forget that you summoned me, or did I end up in the wrong house again?”</p><p>Wait.</p><p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p><p><em>Summoned</em> him? No, there was no fucking way. The only person who knew about that was—</p><p><em>”Leave,”</em> Nora snarled. “And tell Piper this isn’t fucking funny.”</p><p>“Piper?” he asked; his tone sounded confused. “I don’t know who that is.”</p><p>What? That… didn’t make any sense. “What do you mean you don’t know who Piper is? She <em>clearly</em> sent you. How else would you know about the… the <em>book?”</em></p><p>“… Because I came out of it?”</p><p>He sounded <em>irritated</em> now, as if that was something she should obviously know, and it was pissing her off. But she grew quiet, letting everything mull around in her head, unsure what to do at this point. It was impossible the guy came out of a fucking book—utterly impossible. But without a way to contact Piper, she couldn’t tell the reporter to get her goddamn friend out of Nora’s apartment; and since the man was just standing there naked, she couldn’t exactly just open the door, either.</p><p>“Look, I don’t know what Piper told you, but you need to get your clothes and leave.”</p><p>“Again, I don’t know who Piper is,” he replied with an aggravated noise, “And I don’t have any clothes nor anywhere to go.”</p><p><em>Fuck.</em> This made no goddamn sense.</p><p>“Why are you doing this!?” she growled.</p><p>“Listen, little girl, <em>you</em> summoned <em>me.</em> I’m just here to fuck you, and once that’s done with, then I’ll go back into the book and you’ll be free of me, alright?”</p><p>Little girl?</p><p>
  <em>Little girl!?</em>
</p><p>Spinning around, Nora unlocked the door and yanked it open, finding him leaning forward with his hands against the doorframe—he was so fucking <em>tall</em> and so fucking <em>close</em>—as she opened her mouth to snap at him, to tell him she’d had <em>enough</em> of his and Piper’s bullshit, that she’d thought he was there to hurt her, and that she was going to have a firm talking-to with her best friend after he left, but as soon as she looked at his face… there was that familiar feeling again.</p><p>The same one from last night.</p><p>
  <em>”This one,” Nora said quietly while running her fingers over his picture as if she’d be able to feel his features just from touching the drawing—as if she’d already be able to <strong>know him.</strong> Did she know him? Would she? He was… familiar. Somehow.</em>
</p><p>Maxson.</p><p>The drawing from the book had showed the left side of his face, portraying a couple of thin scars that ran from just above his left eyebrow, into his left cheek, and down into his bottom lip—fairly prominent features, really. Those, combined with his dark beard, undercut, and intense stare… she immediately knew he was telling the truth. He looked exactly as he did in the book.</p><p>And Piper was right in that he was similar to Nate in some ways.</p><p>Her stomach twisted.</p><p>“You… really are…”</p><p>“From the book? Yes,” he answered, his eyes slowly looking her up and down.</p><p>Heat ran up her neck and face, a red flush taking over her cheeks as the sudden realization washed over her as to what <em>’from the book’</em> meant—</p><p>
  <em>Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.</em>
</p><p>The sound was loud and made her startle; someone was knocking on her front door, and they were knocking <em>hard.</em> It sent her heart racing as she froze, memories of not even a year ago flashing before her eyes of when Nate was still—</p><p>“Do you want me to answer it?”</p><p>“What!?” she quietly squeaked, blinking a couple times. “No! You’re naked! Why would I want you to answer the door!?”</p><p>Maxson grunted and shrugged one shoulder. But when she heard more banging that was followed by her name being called in a panicked and worried voice, her eyes closed in a mixture of relief and dread.</p><p>MacCready.</p><p>He must have heard her shriek before she ran into the bathroom. Fuck.</p><p>“Sounds urgent,” her summoned guest continued almost teasingly. “You sure you don’t want me to answer it, <em>Nora?”</em></p><p>The way her name was said had her stomach fluttering, but she gritted her teeth, knowing she had to make a decision. Mac was out there, likely with a gun, so if she didn’t answer it, he’d make his way in to ensure she was alright—he had a key, after all, since she needed someone nearby to have one just in case, considering Piper lived across town.</p><p>But before she had a chance to really even <em>decide,</em> her intruder-slash-guest was leaning in a little more, still towering over her by a foot in height that had her head tipping back to look up at him.</p><p>“Or, we could ignore it and I could bend you over the counter and fuck you until you’re numb,” he quietly suggested.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p>Her face flushed even more, and she felt heat wash over her body, gathering between her thighs, but she fought with her body wanting to give in to him and shot him a glare, instead. “If you even <em>try</em> to touch me, I’ll kick you in the balls,” she hissed.</p><p>Maxson pushed himself off the doorframe and held his hands up, palms facing her, as if he was admitting defeat, then stepped back and to the side to give her some room to move around him. She immediately went to the front door, though her hands trembled as she unlocked the deadbolts; it took a bit more time than it usually would have, but as soon as each one was unlocked, she opened the door to see Mac on the other side just as she’d expected—gun in hand, worry on his face.</p><p>“Nora, you alright?” he asked, though his eyes immediately glanced down at her bare legs before returning to her face. “Thought I heard you scream.”</p><p>Fuck, she’d completely forgotten she wasn’t wearing pants still.</p><p>
  <em>Good one, idiot.</em>
</p><p>“No, yeah, I’m good, Mac. Sorry. Just… saw a… um… snake?” The last word was almost a question as her voice cracked.</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, saw a snake, alright—no, shut up, Nora.</em>
</p><p>He probably would have questioned where she saw a snake if it weren’t for the fact his eyes zeroed in on something behind her—she already knew what he was looking at and her face flushed an even deeper red, jaw tensing. She watched as MacCready’s eyebrows raised and furrowed, those bright blue eyes flicking back and forth between her and the man who came up behind her. But Maxson was so damn <em>silent</em> that when a large hand gently touched her side, she startled and gasped.</p><p>“Who’s that?” MacCready asked suspiciously and protectively, looking at the other man’s hand on her side.</p><p>“Uhhhh…” Nora pushed at Maxson’s wrist, shoving it off her, but his other hand just went to her <em>other</em> side. “One of, um, one of Piper’s f-friends.”</p><p>“… Why’s he naked?”</p><p>“N-nudist.”</p><p>“… In your apartment?”</p><p>“Mhm,” she answered, the sound strained as she tried to casually push the other hand off. She was <em>not</em> about to try to explain to her neighbor—the same neighbor who’d been crushing on her since she’d moved in across the hall from him—that she and her best friend managed to summon some sort of sex demon and that he’d appeared naked in her apartment last night, and now that same sex demon had his—<em>oh, fuck</em>—had his hard cock pressing down against her ass while he stood behind her. “He needed a place to stay. Offered it. Bit weird, I admit, but you know how it is with—with the economy and… and all that. Anyway, I—I gotta go, Mac. Th-thanks for checking on me, really appreciate it. Have a good day at work!”</p><p>Without waiting for a response, she shut the door and quickly clicked each lock, starting with the top one as she usually did and going all the way down to the knob, glancing over each one to ensure they were all secure.</p><p>“Why do you have so many locks?” That husky voice was almost in her ear as she felt him grind against her; a shiver ran down her spine.</p><p>“Don’t—don’t worry about it,” she breathed.</p><p>The hand she’d first pushed off was suddenly on her stomach, slowly sliding down the front of her body until he was cupping her mound; she couldn’t help but squeeze her thighs closed while grabbing onto his wrist.</p><p>“Since you’re so eager to get rid of me,” he started while placing a kiss against the side of her neck, “How about I take you right here, against the door, hm?”</p><p>“Fuck,” she whispered.</p><p>“Well, that <em>is</em> what I get summoned to do.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“So, is he… normal?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.</p><p>Nora followed her gaze, her eyes flicking to Maxson, as well. “… Normal?”</p><p>“Like, does he eat? Go to the bathroom? Sleep? He clearly has, well, <em>hobbies.”</em> She made a motion of cracking open a book with her hands.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One day.</p><p>One. Day.</p><p>She’d spent just one day with this guy and she was ready to lose her fucking mind.</p><p>All he wanted to do was fuck her and all <em>she</em> wanted to do was <em>get away from him.</em></p><p>Sure, he was stupidly fucking pretty; and yeah, his voice made her wet just from the sound of it; and okay, the man just <em>would not put pants on;</em> but she just <em>could not</em> bring herself to fuck him. It seemed… wrong. And wasn’t it? Fucking whoever summoned him was literally his <em>purpose,</em> after all, as Piper had explained it—and, hell, that was even how <em>Maxson</em> had explained it. That was the reason for his existence and why he was in the book at all; he had no choice but to do exactly that.</p><p>And to make matters worse, that was the only way to get rid of him! According to Maxson, the only way to make him <em>go the fuck away</em> was to <em>actually fuck him,</em> so she couldn’t even send him back into the book otherwise. But Nora refused to believe that—there had to be another way.</p><p>This entire situation was fucked up.</p><p>Still, the longer she thought about it, the harder she scrubbed at the plate in her hand, ignoring the fact she’d been cleaning the same dish for at least a couple minutes.</p><p>Really, it wasn’t even that she didn’t <em>want</em> to fuck him, because hell yeah, she did. In any other circumstance, she would have eagerly bent over and spread her legs for him—assuming he would have wanted the same because he was <em>definitely</em> way out of her league—but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not when he was—</p><p>Large, callused hands slid to her sides, catching her off guard and making her startle, and Nora gasped as she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, but her gaze only met his bare chest until she tipped her chin up, up, <em>up</em> to finally meet his face. Fuck, he was <em>tall;</em> then again, most people were tall compared to her—she was only 5’2”. The man towered an entire foot over her.</p><p>“What are you—what are you doing?” Nora breathed.</p><p>Those sky blue eyes met hers before he leaned down to place a gentle kiss to her shoulder. “Seeing if you’ve changed your mind yet.”</p><p>“I have not changed my mind, Maxson.” She tried to keep her voice firm, but with his front pressed against her back… well, her resolve was quickly fading.</p><p>So much for that ethical issue.</p><p>A quiet noise rumbled from his chest and vibrated into her back, seeming to travel all the way down to her core, while his hands slipped from her sides and up to her breasts, cupping them. It was the weekend, so she didn’t have to work, which meant she was wearing sleep shorts and a tanktop the entire day—but that just seemed to make it easier and better for him and worse for her. </p><p>Or was it simultaneously worse <em>and</em> better for her?</p><p>“You want to get rid of me, don’t you?” he whispered.</p><p>“Y-yes, but—”</p><p>“Then all you have to do,” his fingers curled around the hem of her tanktop and into the cups of her bra, “Is let me fuck you.” As he said the last part, Maxson roughly pulled down both articles of clothing beneath her breasts, ripping some piece of fabric in the process—all she could do was gasp.</p><p>The plate and sponge loudly clattered into the sink as she abruptly set them down, and she was surprised she’d even managed to hold onto them that long.</p><p>“This isn’t a good idea,” the lawyer quietly protested. “I’m not—<em>you’re</em> not—<em>fuck!”</em></p><p>Teeth lightly clamped down on the curve of her neck and shoulder before he sucked the skin between his lips, and at the same time, one of his hands released her breast, only to slip down between her legs, his fingers rubbing against her through the thin fabric of her shorts.</p><p>“M-Maxson,” she breathed.</p><p>“Let me fuck you, Nora,” he said quietly in her ear after freeing her from the bite. “You know I’ll take care of you.”</p><p>Every concern she had about this being his <em>purpose</em> and that being <em>wrong</em> were slowly fading despite how she was trying to grasp at them. She could feel her stomach twisting, her body begging to let him have her while her mind was saying otherwise. What the fuck was wrong with her? What the fuck was <em>happening?</em></p><p>Yet, the lack of protest seemed to be what he was looking for, and her moan as he ground his hard cock against her clothed ass must have been taken as encouragement, because it was then he pulled his hands away from her—did she just <em>whine? Fuck</em>—before lightly shoving her forward with his palm against her back, forcing her to bend over the counter.</p><p>It was over for her. She was a goner. There was no coming back from this—no escaping.</p><p>But when he started gently sliding her tanktop up with his hands on her sides, then <em>kissing down her bare back,</em> she could only stare into the sink in confusion. What the hell was he doing? This was… intimate. <em>Awkward.</em> Fuck, she <em>liked</em> it.</p><p>Maxson gradually crouched behind her as he kissed his way down, gently pulling her shorts and underwear to her knees along the way, those same soft kisses trailing to her ass before—</p><p>
  <em>”Ow! Fuck!”</em>
</p><p>Nora gripped the edge of the sink, nearly panting from the feel of his fucking <em>teeth</em> having clamped onto her ass cheek—and <em>of course</em> he laughed.</p><p>She wanted to punch him. But she wanted to get fucked by him even more.</p><p>But he gently pulled her hips back, forcing her ass to jut out, back to bow, and legs to spread, before he was kissing his way back up her body, then sliding his fingers between her legs and along her folds. He was standing slightly to the side so there was enough room to let his hand remain there, but she could feel his hard cock pressing against one of her ass cheeks; and as he rubbed along the outside of her cunt with one hand, his free one was sliding his palm up her spine until he reached her hair, his fingers threading into the strawberry blonde locks.</p><p>And when he spoke, his voice was so fucking <em>husky</em> that he might as well have been whispering in her ear even though he wasn’t bent over her.</p><p>“You’re already wet for me,” he observed; she couldn’t stop the groan from escaping her chest.</p><p>Heat ran through her body and she was so ready to fuck him—even if it was just getting fucked by his fingers first—despite how something deep in her mind kept telling her not to do it. Still, she both spread her legs and jutted her ass out a bit more, offering herself to whatever sex god or demon was torturing her inside her own home.</p><p>And this <em>was</em> torture, wasn’t it? Making her completely obliterate her moral compass by giving in? No, surely this couldn’t be—</p><p>Just as the tip of his finger was pressing into her, there was a knock on the door. Nora’s eyes snapped wide open and some semblance of sanity and self-control came back to her.</p><p>
  <em>”Piper.”</em>
</p><p>Her friend was supposed to stop by on her lunch break. How could she have forgotten!? They’d literally spoken that morning!</p><p>Immediately, Nora stood upright, forcing Maxson’s hands off her as she bolted away from him, pulling her shorts and underwear up in the process, followed by her bra and tanktop while she darted straight for the door. A quick glance back to her summoned guest told her he was standing there, dumbfounded, staring after her, and she could only briefly look at his face, her eyes then flicking down to his cock—<em>fuck</em>—before she turned away again.</p><p>“Go put some pants on!” she ordered.</p><p>As soon as the door was opened, she was greeted by Piper’s wide grin—only for it to grow even wider as the reporter slowly looked her over almost suspiciously. Realization suddenly washed over her that she probably looked like a damn <em>mess</em> and she hadn’t even <em>done</em> anything other than receiving a bite mark to her ass cheek and her clothes pulled down and—<em>oh.</em></p><p>Piper’s eyes were focused on her neck.</p><p>Nora cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her hair. “Hey, Pipes,” she greeted before stepping to the side and looking away while a red flush ran up her chest and face.</p><p>“He still here?” the reporter asked. “Or did you <em>do it</em> yet?”</p><p>She shot her friend a glare. </p><p>“We didn’t <em>’do it,’</em> Piper. And we’re not going to,” Nora growled, shutting the door and going through her routine of locking the deadbolts and knob, followed by checking each one.</p><p>“Your neck and ripped tanktop say otherwise,” her friend mumbled.</p><p>Tensing her jaw, she ignored the comment. “I need to know how to get rid of him.”</p><p>“Where is he?”</p><p>
  <em>”Piper.”</em>
</p><p>The reporter turned around to face Nora, throwing her hands in the air and huffing. “Whaddaya think, Blue? That there’s like, a week-span timer? You gotta have sex with him!”</p><p>“That’s what I told her yesterday, but she didn’t believe me.”</p><p>Maxson’s husky voice came from the hallway after he’d left the bedroom, having put on a pair of sweatpants she’d picked up from the store late last night specifically so he’d stop walking around her apartment naked. She didn’t have any clothes that fit him, all of Nate’s old pants being too big, so she’d opted for just grabbing a couple pairs of whatever looked right. And, really, it wasn’t that she even <em>wanted</em> him to stop walking around naked because the man was fucking gorgeous, but every time she laid her eyes on him… well, that made it so much harder to reject his advances.</p><p>But, hell, she was still thankful he’d put them on, even if he did look fucking good wearing sweats. She’d guessed his size, though they still looked a bit too big—but his ass mostly made up for that. Still, the way his stomach hair dipped down into the front of them, how they hung low on his hips, the way the dip of his pelvic muscle nearly fucking <em>teased</em> her, and the clear outline of his—</p><p>Her eyes dropped to the little furball that was trotting after him as he went to the couch and plopped down—he had a book in his hand, seeming to have grown fairly comfortable raiding her bookshelf—and Nora couldn’t help but purse her lips as she watched Max, her fucking <em>kitten,</em> climb up her summoned guest’s pantleg and into his lap to lay on him. Maxson didn’t seem bothered by it despite how she was <em>pretty sure</em> cats and demons were supposed to hate each other. Wasn’t that a thing she saw on television once? Or read somewhere? Or was that just some bullshit?</p><p>Whatever.</p><p>“He… is… <em>beautiful.”</em></p><p>Nora was brought back in the moment when she heard Piper whisper from her left, the reporter staring at Maxson with cartoon hearts in her eyes. But when her friend started to almost robotically walk toward the man, Nora had to stop her, grabbing onto the other woman’s arm and yanking her back.</p><p>“Piper, <em>come on.”</em> Tugging her into the kitchen, the two finally sat at the table, settling into their chairs. “Look, it was a mistake to summon him. I didn’t think it would work, but it did, and now I just… I need to know how to get rid of him.”</p><p>“I told you, Blue, you gotta fuck him.”</p><p>Nora groaned. “I’m not—I’m not gonna do that. It’s just… <em>wrong.</em> He said it’s his <em>purpose,</em> that it’s the only thing he does. The only reason he comes out of the book, the only reason he exists. I’m just… not comfortable doing it. That’s like some sort of sexual slavery, it’s fucked up.”</p><p>“I don’t know what to tell you,” Piper said with a shrug. “That’s the only way I know of. I mean, you can try to visit the witchcraft shop I got the book from to see if the lady knows anything, but you made me promise not to go back there, so…”</p><p>Running her hand down her face, the lawyer shook her head. “No, I don’t want to go there. It’s too risky. I’m already being watched, don’t need to give the state another reason to keep an eye on me.”</p><p>Piper nodded, and the two fell quiet for a second—but her eyes soon trailed out into the living room where Maxson was still settled on the couch, reading. “So, is he… normal?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.</p><p>Nora followed her gaze, her eyes flicking to Maxson, as well. “… Normal?”</p><p>“Like, does he eat? Go to the bathroom? Sleep? He clearly has, well, <em>hobbies.”</em> She made a motion of cracking open a book with her hands. “But—”</p><p>“I mean, he eats, yeah. And sleeps. I’m not really watching if he goes to the bathroom. That’s a really weird question, Piper.”</p><p>“I’m just curious! … Do you think he could get you pregnant?”</p><p><em>”Oh, my god, Piper,”</em> Nora hissed.</p><p>“Look, I just want some answers. Aren’t you curious!?”</p><p>“You both do realize I can hear you, yes?”</p><p>The two women went quiet, their eyes growing wide as they stared at one another since they’d let their gazes fall back to each other before slowly looking to Maxson once again, but he’d never even looked up from the book in his hands.</p><p>“So long as I am here, I am exactly as you are: human,” he explained; Nora let out a slow breath. “Mostly.”</p><p>“Wait—”</p><p>Piper’s phone started buzzing, her alarm warning her that she needed to return to work. Nora made a quick glance back to Maxson—he was looking at her this time, and she locked eyes with him only briefly before tearing her gaze away. Both women stood, and Nora walked Piper to the door, unlocking it to see her out.</p><p>“I’ll try to do some research, let you know if I find anything,” the reporter said.</p><p>“Thanks, Pipes. Appreciate it.”</p><p>They embraced, but when Piper started digging in her bag, only to pull out a book—no, not just <em>a</em> book, but <em>the</em> book—before shoving it and a chess piece into Nora’s arms and against her chest, the lawyer’s eyes grew wide. </p><p>“You know. Just in case you change your mind and decide you, uh, need his company.”</p><p>
  <em>”Piper.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Shop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Uh… hello?” She glanced behind the counter before turning around to look down one of the aisles, but still saw no one—</p><p>“Oh, kid.”</p><p>The frail voice of an old woman came from behind her and made her startle, and Nora spun around, seeing there was now someone behind the counter, leaning on it. They <em>definitely</em> weren’t there a second ago—no way.</p><p>“You’ve gone and found yourself a sex demon, haven’t you?”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soft kisses were pressed to her bare hip followed by the familiar drag of coarse facial hair along her skin. Heat blossomed between Nora’s legs at the gentle touch and she made a quiet noise, rolling onto her back with the nudge of a helping hand, those same kisses then trailing to her bare stomach. And when she opened her eyes and looked down, she was met with a sky blue gaze that peered up at her in return.</p><p>“Maxson,” she breathed.</p><p>It’d been a couple days since she’d let him get this close, always managing to avoid him or slip away whenever he’d somehow snuck up on her, but now… she had little to no desire to push him away.</p><p>Their eyes remained locked as he kissed lower and lower down her bare stomach—her shirt was pushed up to just beneath her breasts, but that was common when she slept—and she felt her heart speed up as he grew closer to her core.</p><p>And when his fingers curled around the hem of her underwear, she didn’t even resist nor think twice about it, instead lifting her hips and letting him take it off, then spreading her legs as soon as she was settled back on the mattress. He was immediately between them, kissing along her inner thighs—<em>fuck,</em> it sent waves of heat through her entire body.</p><p>Strong arms hooked beneath her thighs, one hand reaching up and slipping beneath her shirt, cupping her breast—she’d been asleep, so she wasn’t wearing a bra—while the other arm looped to where his hand placed flat on her mound. His thumb and forefinger spread her open, pulling the hood of her clit back, and as soon as he had her where he wanted her, Maxson leaned in and flicked the tip of his tongue against the sensitive bundle of nerves.</p><p>Nora’s entire body tensed, one hand grabbing onto the back of his as he held onto her breast, the other reaching down to thread her fingers into his hair. “Oh, fuck.”</p><p>He repeated the action over and over, the sound already so damn <em>wet,</em> until his lips finally locked around her clit, sucking it into his mouth and rolling his tongue against it. </p><p>Needless to say, she was a mess almost immediately, her back arching and head falling back as she moaned, eyes tightly closing. It wasn’t long before she felt heat coiling in her belly from a type of stimulation she hadn’t felt in so long, and Maxson was sucking rather hard on her clit as he started alternating between rolling the flat of his tongue and flicking the tip against it. And when she tipped over the edge, her legs were trembling on either side of him as she moaned.</p><p>But he didn’t pull away, instead helping her ride it out before the hand on her breast let go and she soon felt a finger sliding into her even as she was still so damn <em>sensitive.</em> Nora gasped, moaning again, but spread her legs a bit wider, giving him as much access as he wanted—<em>offering</em> herself to him.</p><p>“M-Maxson,” she breathed. <em>”Fuck.”</em></p><p>It didn’t take long for his middle finger to slide in to the last knuckle since she was already wet, and he soon started working his ring finger in, as well—but he had <em>much</em> larger hands than she did and they reached <em>much</em> further back than hers ever could, so there was a slight sting from the stretch, but it wasn’t much. Besides, by the time both fingers were knuckle-deep in her, he made sure she forgot all about it by crooking them and finding her sweet spot, rubbing it over and over as he went back to sucking her clit—and she was gone.</p><p>Again.</p><p>Nora’s back arched as she keened, and she was sent over the edge quick and hard.</p><p>The third finger worked into her had her suck a hissing inhale between her teeth, but he never let up on her clit, lapping at it the entire time while slowly working the digit in. Leaning up onto one elbow, she kept one hand in his hair, holding it out of his face, and now had a much better view of what he was doing—<em>fuck,</em> she could see his tongue flicking against her clit; how his hand and arm and shoulder muscles moved as he started fucking her on his fingers. And maybe the fact she was able to see everything made it better, or maybe the fact he kept his eyes on her made it so much more intense, because her third orgasm abruptly washed over her like a tidal wave.</p><p>Maxson slowly slipped his fingers out of her after helping her ride it out, then started crawling up her body, his eyes glancing her up and down, taking in her features as he was above her—did he like what he saw?—before his lips met her own. She threaded her fingers into his hair, her legs still spread while she devoured the kiss, his body lowering atop hers.</p><p>But this… was still wrong.</p><p>She should stop it. She <em>needed</em> to stop it.</p><p>He pulled away from the kiss long enough to spit onto his fingers, his lips immediately going to her neck right after, and she watched as his hand disappeared between them before he started pressing into her—</p><p>
  <em>Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck.</em>
</p><p>The pain from the stretch of his girth—<em>fuck,</em> he’d barely even started pressing in—brought her back to her senses, and Nora shook her head.</p><p>“No, wait. Stop.”</p><p>He froze.</p><p>“I don’t—I <em>can’t.”</em></p><p>A slow, heavy exhale left Maxson’s nose as he still had his face near the side of her neck before he was suddenly grasping her jaw, his fingers digging into her cheeks as he pulled back to look at her; she gasped, grabbing onto his wrist and forearm.</p><p>Their lips were close now, but he locked eyes with her, and Nora was once again fearful for her life. She’d made a horrible fucking mistake by getting caught up in letting him get so close—and now? Now, she was in such a vulnerable position that he could take whatever he wanted from her.</p><p>“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t.”</p><p>“I’m tired of you toying with me.”</p><p>“I’m not—”</p><p>“Just put me back in the fucking book, Nora.”</p><p>“I don’t—it’s <em>wrong.”</em></p><p>“You are wearing my patience fucking thin, little girl,” he growled.</p><p>There was that name again, and it had anger bubbling in her gut. Her lip curled and she let go of his forearm, pressing her palm against the side of his face and pushing at him, but he used his free hand to grab her wrist and pin it to the bed, doing the same with the other so he could hold both wrists above her head with one hand, then grasped her jaw once more.</p><p>They glared at one another for a long moment before he slowly leaned down—she thought he was going to kiss her, but when he bypassed her mouth and turned her head so his lips were beside her ear, his voice a low, husky sound that was just above a whisper as he spoke, her breath hitched and she had to stop her body from shivering beneath him.</p><p>“You’ll let me fuck you eventually, little girl. And when you do, I’m going to leave you thoroughly and utterly wrecked to where sex with anyone else will be ruined and entirely unsatisfactory for you. I promise you that.”</p><p>Maxson pulled away then and got off the bed, leaving her there, and only when he finally left the room did she release the breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <h3>
    <strong>♔ ═══════ ♡ ═══════ ♕</strong>
  </h3>
</div><p>“Where are you going?”</p><p>“Out.”</p><p>“You don’t work today.”</p><p>“Nice of you to know my work schedule now, but I’m not going to work.”</p><p>“Then where could you possibly be going?”</p><p>“Why are you so nosy?”</p><p>“I’m not—whatever. I don’t care.”</p><p>“Jesus, you act like a damn teenager. I’ll be back in a couple hours. Don’t answer the door while I’m gone.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <h3>
    <strong>♔ ═══════ ♡ ═══════ ♕</strong>
  </h3>
</div><p>The shop that Piper had mentioned was a decent drive away, some little place downtown stuffed between two much larger stores on a strip. She’d driven down this way plenty of times before and had never seen it, so it must have been new. Then again, it was also <em>illegal,</em> so how it even existed at all was beyond her.</p><p>Little bells that were attached to the door jingled as soon as it opened and closed, warning anyone else in the shop that someone had walked in. Nora was immediately looking around, taking note of the rows of books along the wall to her right and how most of them looked really old, almost like the book Piper had given her. Two long standalone shelves were in the center of the shop with all sorts of bobbles on them, and the left wall held even more shelves, as well as some display cases.</p><p>Slowly, she made her way through the center aisle, glancing at a few items along the way, before coming up toward a long, glass counter with even more items inside it, these ones seeming more precious and valuable—daggers, jewelry, and the like.</p><p>But… no one was here?</p><p>“Uh… hello?” She glanced behind the counter before turning around to look down one of the aisles, but still saw no one—</p><p>“Oh, kid.”</p><p>The frail voice of an old woman came from behind her and made her startle, and Nora spun around, seeing there was now someone behind the counter, leaning on it. They <em>definitely</em> weren’t there a second ago—no way.</p><p>“You’ve gone and found yourself a sex demon, haven’t you?”</p><p>With wide eyes, her mouth opened before snapping shut as she flubbed. “I’ve—I’ve found a—a—” How the fuck did this lady know about Maxson? And why was she just so damn <em>casual</em> about it!?</p><p>“A sex demon,” the old lady reiterated. “Don’t worry, ain’t no shame in here. Just you’n me.”</p><p>The lawyer’s face flushed, and she cleared her throat, stepping closer to the counter while clutching her bag to her chest. “Like a… what are they called? An incubus?”</p><p>A slight smile cracked the shop owner’s face. “Nah, kid. No dreams; otherwise, you woulda already gave in to him by now. Just a regular demon who likes sex.”</p><p>Well, that was… partially good news? Sort of? Maybe?</p><p>Then again, this lady somehow knew she had Maxson back at her house and hadn’t fucked him yet, so maybe <em>’good news’</em> was jumping the gun.</p><p>Tapping her fingers on her bag, Nora chewed her bottom lip for a second. “Okay, so… you know what he is. How do I get rid of him?”</p><p>“I’m bettin’ you already know the answer to that.”</p><p>“Yes, but I mean how <em>else</em> can I get rid of him. Without… ya know, having sex with him.”</p><p>“That’s it, I’m afraid,” she explained while pale, hazy blue eyes dropped down to the bag as if she knew what was in it.</p><p>Nora hesitated before pulling the book out, setting it on the counter and carefully sliding it toward the old woman.</p><p>“He been out for long?” the lady asked as she opened it and immediately flipped to the pages that she’d looked at the night before Maxson appeared in her apartment—where six headshot portraits were drawn onto old paper in black ink.</p><p>“About a week.”</p><p>“Not takin’ it well?”</p><p>“No, but I don’t really get why. Shouldn’t he <em>want</em> to be out of the book? He’s basically trapped in there.”</p><p>“His goal is to have sex with you, kid. You’re not lettin’ him do it, so he’d rather wait around ‘til someone else summons him and does. He’s a stubborn one.”</p><p>But the old lady was speaking as if it was about someone specific despite how Nora hadn’t mentioned any names—then again, maybe all three of the men from the book were like that.</p><p>“Can you… tell me more about these, um, sex demons?” Nora asked, glancing back at the shelves of books that lined the right wall of the shop. “Or is there a book I can buy that will tell me about them? Maybe that’ll help me understand a bit more.”</p><p>A smile returned to the shop owner’s face, this one almost sympathetic. “No. No books. These are a special bunch, so if you wanna know about them, you’ll have to ask him, yourself.” There was a pause, her smile fading, and she briefly looked Nora over. “But I will tell you that he can’t hurt you. And he wouldn’t, even if he could. That was never his way.”</p><p>“… His?”</p><p>A crooked finger tapped on Maxson’s picture. “You think I don’t know who you chose?”</p><p>Nora’s heart nearly skipped a beat but the woman just grinned.</p><p>“Don’t worry, kid, there ain’t no judgment from me. Arthur Maxson was always a good choice. A little too pushy and cocky, I’d say, but still good.”</p><p>What the fuck did that even <em>mean!?</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Bonding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“… You made me dinner?”</p><p>Nora rolled her eyes. “I made <em>us</em> dinner because I’m tired of you eating all my snacks and picking through my fridge.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Showers were her only escape from Maxson, and even then, she wasn’t sure that would always be the case considering the door had a flimsy lock that he could probably break with a stern look. Still, every time she showered, he granted her that privacy—at least every time she showered after the <em>first</em> time when he’d tried to join her and received a punch to the stomach, which really just ended up hurting her more than it hurt him. But now he usually left her alone, which she was thankful for.</p><p>She found him in the bedroom after she finished, getting dressed before walking in while towel-drying her hair. He sat on the floor, his legs crossed beneath him—he was wearing pants again, thankfully—while some stuff was scattered around him and a red book was in his hands. He didn’t seem to care that she came into the room, focused on reading, which was… cute, really. The man was a bookworm, something she didn’t expect from a <em>sex demon;</em> he’d already went through quite a few of the books she’d had on her shelf over the past week and a half.</p><p>“What are you reading now?” she asked, glancing over at him before tossing the towel onto the bed and running her fingers through her damp hair.</p><p>Maxson shrugged one shoulder. “Political theory.”</p><p>Theory? She didn’t even like to read theory <em>herself.</em></p><p>But everything quickly came together.</p><p>Nora’s eyes flicked to her closet, seeing the door was open, before she looked at the items that were scattered around him—boxes, books, some folders, a picture, and even newspaper clippings.</p><p>Those were Nate’s things.</p><p>Something twisted in her chest, pain shooting throughout her body.</p><p>“No, no, nonononono, you can’t—you can’t just—these aren’t <em>yours.”</em></p><p>She lunged at him, snatching the book from his hands and tearing it away; he looked at her, confused, his hands still in the air as if he still had a hold on the text. Nora quickly dropped it into one of the boxes, grabbing the other books and doing the same, before carefully putting the rest of the stuff where it belonged.</p><p>“Why would you just—just <em>go through my closet!?</em> That’s not okay! That’s an invasion of privacy! I had these boxes put away for a fucking <em>reason!”</em></p><p>Her summoned guest seemed conflicted, but she didn’t dwell on it, instead focusing on shoving the boxes back into the closet while trying to keep herself together long enough to do it. The one with books was slid across the floor, the rest being stacked, but once it was all put away, she slammed the door shut.</p><p>“Those were—those were <em>his</em> things, <em>not</em> yours!” she breathed. “You can’t just—you shouldn’t—you need to—”</p><p>Leaning her shoulder against the closet door, tears broke free and started streaming down her cheeks as the memory of her late husband was forced into her mind—his life, his death, the portrayal of how it happened… everything. Maxson stirred up something he was unaware of, and now she couldn’t control herself as she slid down to the floor, collapsing, crying.</p><p>He remained where he was, watching her, but all she could even do was sob. His presence was comforting to some extent, reminding her that she wasn’t alone even if the person in her presence was driving her fucking crazy.</p><p>She wasn’t sure how long they both sat there while she cried, but her tears eventually slowed as she remained on the floor, leaning against the closet door still. But when he spoke, even though his intention wasn’t to hurt her, it struck like a chain against her skin that wrapped around her torso and was squeezing her chest.</p><p>“Is that why you have so many locks?” he asked quietly.</p><p>“You don’t know shit,” Nora hissed, nearly baring her teeth at him. “Get the fuck out of my room. <em>Leave me alone.”</em></p><p>He granted her that, at least.</p>
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</div><p>They’d avoided one another for the rest of the day. Maxson gave her space while she did some paperwork, trying to keep herself busy so her mind didn’t stray back to Nate and what had happened earlier. She’d debated calling Piper, but sometimes her best friend was a bit too… well, jubilant, which was overwhelming when Nora was in this sort of state. Burying herself in work was the best she had at the moment.</p><p>When evening came around, she cooked dinner. It wasn’t anything extraordinary considering she wasn’t the greatest cook, but the food wasn’t burnt, and it tasted fine, so it would do. She made enough for both her and Maxson, giving the man plenty before setting both plates down on the table with cutlery and drinks.</p><p>With a slight nod of satisfaction, she stepped toward the living room even though she was able to see him clearly from where she stood, taking note he was lying on the couch reading a book again. She couldn’t see his face, but the thought of how damn adorable it was that he got so into whatever he was reading had her chewing her bottom lip. Sometimes, she’d see his eyebrows crinkle together just slightly or one would arch, and occasionally a slight curve upturning his left cheek at other times.</p><p>“Maxson.”</p><p>Just like when she’d first met him—well, stumbled upon him naked and lying on her couch while reading—he tipped his head up and back to look at her from an upside-down angle.</p><p>“I made dinner.”</p><p>He stared at her for a moment before one eyebrow raised. “… Okay,” he mumbled, his head tilting back down so he was looking at the book again. “Enjoy it?”</p><p>She was going to pummel this bastard.</p><p>“Maxson,” she said a bit more firmly.</p><p>A slow, irritated sigh was very audibly exhaled through his nose. “What, Nora?”</p><p>“I made dinner for <em>two.”</em></p><p>“Is Piper coming over again? I’m really not in the mood for—”</p><p>“Jesus fuck, can you please just come eat?”</p><p>That was enough to get him to roll onto his side so he could look at her better. “… You made me dinner?”</p><p>Nora rolled her eyes. “I made <em>us</em> dinner because I’m tired of you eating all my snacks and picking through my fridge.” Turning, she went to the table and took a seat in front of her plate. “If you don’t want it, I’ll just give it to MacCready so it doesn’t go to waste.”</p><p>She didn’t need to look at him to know his eyes narrowed, which was why he loudly slapped the book shut and set it on the coffee table before joining her.</p><p>He still wasn’t wearing a shirt, but she considered it a win that he was now regularly wearing pants, so she wasn’t going to fight him on anything else, otherwise he might throw a damn tantrum and revert to just walking around her house naked.</p><p>They started eating in silence and she noticed he seemed to appreciate the food, which was a relief; it would have sucked to throw it out. Then again, she was certain that MacCready would take whatever she gave him, so it likely wouldn’t go to waste.</p><p>But the silence was deafening. It usually let bad shit roll around in her head.</p><p>“So…” she said quietly; he glanced up at her. “Arthur?”</p><p>He froze then, his eyes returning to her face once more as his brows furrowed. “What?”</p><p>“Your name. Arthur Maxson. That’s it, right?”</p><p>“Where did you hear that?”</p><p>Nora bit her bottom lip. “I went to that shop Piper mentioned. The lady there knew your name.”</p><p>Conflict washed over his face, though it was brief, before he looked back down at his food. “It is my name, yes. Or, was. Few people know it anymore, so it’s become irrelevant.” He stabbed at a piece of food. “It isn’t my real name, anyway.”</p><p>“What’s your real name, then?” she asked, her head slightly tilted.</p><p>“Something you cannot pronounce nor understand. It’s not…” he paused, thinking on the word as he chewed the food in his mouth. “It’s not of your world. Do you understand?”</p><p>“It’s… from <em>your</em> world, then? A different one than this?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“I see.” She nodded before taking a bite of her food. “What is your world? Or, where, I guess?”</p><p>“Mm. I don’t remember,” he admitted, stabbing another piece of food but not putting it in his mouth. “I was not given the luxury of remembering my previous life other than scarce details, but nothing regarding my home.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I suppose the good thing is that because I don’t remember it, I cannot miss it. There is no possibility for sentimentality regarding that. I remember why I was placed in the book and from there on after.”</p><p>“Wait, why were you put in the book, then?”</p><p>Maxson went quiet again, but she could tell it wasn’t because he was thinking—it was because he didn’t want to answer. “I made mistakes.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p><em>’Mistakes’</em> could have meant a lot of things. Had he killed a person, or multiple people? Had he betrayed someone important? Worse? Getting put into some sort of sexual slavery in a witchcraft book with the only purpose to fuck someone was one hell of a punishment for a minor crime…</p><p>And even still, were they mistakes because he was caught or mistakes because he regretted what he’d done?</p><p>“How long has it been since you were last, ya know… summoned? From the book?”</p><p>“Probably about a century, but I don’t keep track anymore. After a certain amount of time, the book gets thrown into another world to start over again.”</p><p>“… Shit.”</p><p>He shrugged one shoulder again before setting his fork down and leaning back in his seat. The position was so relaxed—his hands crossed over his lower belly, legs spread, feet flat on the ground. It made her want to sit in his lap.</p><p>Fuck.</p><p>And with her eyes raking him over, she realized just how <em>easy</em> it would be to slide over to him and straddle his legs, or even get on her knees between them.</p><p>
  <em>Stop it, Nora.</em>
</p><p>But when her eyes lifted, she found he was watching her as she was looking him over, and a red flush ran up her neck and face; she cleared her throat, looking down at her food. “So, um,” she started, trying to think of <em>something,</em> “Did you… actually get summoned to the wrong house before?”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“When I was in the bathroom the first day, you said something about showing up at the wrong house. Has that… actually happened?”</p><p>A slight smile curved his lips; <em>fuck,</em> he was so damn pretty. “Ah, yes, it has happened on a few occasions. Typically, with apartments like this, there is a slight chance I could end up in the room above or below. It’s… not pleasant.”</p><p>“I can only imagine,” she mumbled. “A random naked guy showing up in your house is… not something you expect.”</p><p>“No, it isn’t. And the police were not understanding of the situation I found myself in. Saying I ended up in the wrong house without any explanation as to how wasn’t good enough, especially with no clothes. They assumed I had ill intentions.”</p><p>“But you… can’t do that, can you? Hurt anyone?”</p><p>“Mm… that’s not entirely true.” Her heart sank. “I can defend myself and defend you, if necessary. But it’s usually not, considering I don’t remain out of the book for long.” One of his hands raised, fingers running through his beard. “And I <em>can</em> hurt you, technically.”</p><p>Oh, god. Her mouth went dry.</p><p>“If you want me to.”</p><p>Nora nearly choked on her food.</p><p>“I can’t force myself on you. The regular pains of sex don’t count since they’re not always avoidable.” He glanced down to her lower half. What the hell was he insinuating? “But if you’re looking to fulfill kinks—bondage, hitting, choking, whatever—then that is part of requiring consent. You ask for it, I provide it. Within reason, of course.”</p><p>“That’s, um…” she took a sip of her water, keeping her eyes away from him, “That’s… good to know, I guess.”</p><p>“I’m assuming you still want to know more,” he said. It wasn’t a question.</p><p>“Yeah,” she breathed. “I’m just… curious how it works.”</p><p>“Is that because you plan on letting me fuck you soon?”</p><p>“What!? No, I—”</p><p>But he was… grinning.</p><p>
  <em>He was fucking grinning.</em>
</p><p>“… Are you… teasing me?” she whispered.</p><p>Maxson’s grin grew wider, but he didn’t answer. “I can’t masturbate. It doesn’t do anything for me. If I’m close to coming, I can finish myself off, assuming I’ve fucked you; but otherwise, I don’t feel any pleasure from touching myself.”</p><p>“That sucks hardcore,” Nora mumbled.</p><p>“You have no idea,” he agreed. “But, as I told you before, we must have sex in some form or another if you plan to get rid of me: vaginally, anally, or orally. Those are the only three ways it works. And I have to cum.”</p><p>“Wait, no offense, but why do <em>you</em> have to cum?”</p><p>He waved one hand in the air. “That part was never fully explained to me. It would have made more sense to make me only give pleasure, but they ensured I had to receive it, as well.”</p><p>“They?”</p><p>“Whoever put me in the book.”</p><p>“Oh.” Nora set her fork down and shifted in her seat, facing him a little more with one leg folded beneath herself. “What even happens when you’re in the book, anyway? Like, do you just… sit there?”</p><p>He hummed, his eyes narrowing as he stared straight ahead. “It is… difficult to describe. I’m aware, I suppose. Trapped. Sometimes I’m in a room that feels familiar, other times I feel like I’m floating but can’t actually move, though I can see everything around me is destroyed. I think these might be part of my past, but I’m not entirely sure. Most of the time, I’m just aware.”</p><p>It didn’t make sense to her, but she couldn’t really ask for more considering he didn’t have anything more to give. His past was taken from him, and he knew the reason why, but that wasn’t something he was willing to divulge.</p><p>“I am sorry, by the way.”</p><p>His apology came out of nowhere and she blinked, meeting his gaze. “For what?”</p><p>“For going through your closet.” He looked away from her. “I am… struggling with this situation I’ve found myself in. You’re unlike anyone else who has ever summoned me before, and I wanted to know more about you, so I found what I could while you were busy. But I realize going through your things was not something I should have done.”</p><p>Her eyes fell to the table as she listened. He shouldn’t have done it, he was right, but it didn’t seem like there were any ill intentions. Still, Maxson had opened old wounds that hadn’t even finished stitching shut.</p><p>“Thank you for apologizing. I don’t… mind answering whatever questions you have about me. But whatever you read in the newspaper clippings about Nate? They were wrong. I can’t… explain it yet. It still hurts. But give me some time and I’ll try.”</p><p>He nodded before standing and grabbing their plates, carrying them into the kitchen so he could wash them.</p><p>Nora could only watch as he stood at the sink, her eyes raking over his back muscles and his ass—and it was a <em>nice</em> ass—while her tongue swept over her bottom lip. “What did you think of the, uh… the book, anyway? I mean, before I took it.”</p><p>“I don’t really like reading political theory,” he answered with a shrug while cleaning one of the plates. “That was just something I hadn’t read yet. But it was… dry.”</p><p>“Yeah, I always hated reading theory. That was Nate’s thing,” she murmured.</p><p>“I prefer things that are wet.”</p><p>It took a second to sink in, but as soon as it did, her eyes grew wide and her face flushed a deep red again as she looked over to him. “Wh—”</p><p>Water was flicked in her face and she recoiled.</p><p>“Better,” he mumbled.</p><p>What a dick.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Fixed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Got more questions, kid?”</p><p>“I… do,” Nora hesitantly whispered, clearing her throat right after. “I want to know, uh… how to free him. From the book.”</p><p>Something lit up in the woman’s eyes as her grin grew even wider. “You mean you wanna keep him.”</p><p>“What!? No! That’s not what I said!” Nora squeaked.</p>
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    <p>The battle she’d been fighting with Maxson to get him to consistently wear pants had, just yesterday, seemed to end in her favor, but upon entering the living room, Nora realized that must have been a farce when she found him lying on the couch without any clothes on with a book in his hands.</p><p>Perhaps that was her punishment for denying him yet again that morning after being woken up with his face between her legs.</p><p>And while the sight of Maxson naked was certainly something that she could stare at all day…</p><p>“Hey, I’m, uh… gonna go back to that witchcraft shop today.”</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p>“Gonna talk to the lady who owns it.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“See what else I can find out.”</p><p>“Sounds good.”</p><p>Nora narrowed her eyes. He hadn’t even lifted his gaze from the book, and it sounded like he was just blowing her off and completely uninterested in what she was saying, let alone not even paying attention.</p><p>“Also thinking about letting you fuck my brains out.”</p><p>“Don’t toy with me, Nora.”</p><p>Well, shit. She pursed her lips. </p><p>“You wanna go with me?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>This was getting annoying. “… Okay. You gonna tell me why?”</p><p>“I don’t like witches.”</p><p>“Bad experience?” she asked, her tone teasing.</p><p>“I also don’t want to talk about it.”</p><p>“Alright, grump. Fine. I’ll be back soon. Don’t open the door and all that. And <em>please</em> put some pants on before I get back.”</p>
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</div><p>The old lady who owned the shop was happy to see her, apparently, if the beaming grin was anything to go by. Nora had brought the book with her again, tucking it away in her bag; but rather than clutching the bag to her chest like last time, she placed it on the counter between the two of them.</p><p>“Got more questions, kid?”</p><p>“I… do,” Nora hesitantly whispered, clearing her throat right after. “I want to know, uh… how to free him. From the book.”</p><p>Something lit up in the woman’s eyes as her grin grew even wider. “You mean you wanna keep him.”</p><p>“What!? No! That’s not what I said!” Nora squeaked.</p><p>But… the old woman wasn’t wrong. Over the past few weeks that Maxson had been around, Nora had become attached to him despite how many times he’d tried to fuck her, and how he’d upset her, how he was so goddamn <em>frustrating.</em> Yet, she was unsure if that attachment was due to her husband’s death and the fact she was lonely, or because he was actually good company and not that bad to be around.</p><p>She still didn’t even know what he had done to get placed in the book, though.</p><p>“Okay… <em>maybe,”</em> she admitted.</p><p>“Good to hear. And you ain’t even fucked him yet, huh?”</p><p>The lawyer’s face flushed. “I—I, uh, you know,” she whispered, trailing off. “How do I… free him?”</p><p>“I’ll be honest with ya, kid: it ain’t gonna be easy,” the old crone said. “It ain’t easy to get a demon to fall in love with ya, and it’s even harder to get Arthur Maxson to realize he’s fallen in love.”</p><p>Something in Nora’s chest sank. “He… what…? He has to… fall in love with me? To be, um… to be freed?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah. That boy is a stubborn one, so you got your work cut out for ya, but you’re the only one who can do it. You’ve done it before, and you can do it again.”</p><p>That… made no sense.</p><p>“Wait, what? Why me? And what do you mean I’ve <em>’done it before’?”</em></p><p>“Think of it like a fixed fate,” the shop owner explained. “You been interwoven in his very existence for a long time, way before you met him here.”</p><p>Nora fell quiet for a few moments, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought. Interwoven in his existence? Before she met him? <em>Here?</em> “I don’t understand,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Is that why he felt familiar?”</p><p>The woman’s grin widened even more, despite how that didn’t seem possible. “Yeah, kid. Now you’re gettin’ it.”</p><p>She wasn’t really sure that was true.</p><p>“Arthur Maxson has been sent from world to world, but he don’t realize why that is: he’s been lookin’ for you.”</p><p>“For… me? Why me?”</p><p>“Because you’re you. You’re the only one who can change him, who can make him love. He’s familiar to you because you’ve known him, just like he knows you. But neither of youse remember. I didn’t let him remember before the book for good reason, but it ain’t the same you from before, anyway.”</p><p>None of this was making any sense.</p><p>“So, he’s from… a different world. He told me that. But you’re saying I’m also from that world?”</p><p>The woman nodded.</p><p>“Which is why he seems familiar.”</p><p>Another nod.</p><p>“But if I’m the only one who can free him, yet I’m also from his world, why did he get put into the book in the first place?”</p><p>“That ain’t my story to tell, kid,” the old crone said.</p><p>Of course not. </p><p>“How do I, uh… get him to, ya know.” Nora’s voice dropped and she made a motion with her hands that she wasn’t even quite sure what it meant. <em>”Fall in love with me?”</em></p><p>“Could give ya a love potion.”</p><p>“… Wait, really?”</p><p>“Nah, kid. Those ain’t real.”</p><p>Nora pursed her lips.</p><p>“You’re doin’ fine so far,” she added. “Don’t worry.”</p><p>“Is there <em>anything else</em> you can tell me? Anything that might… I don’t know, help me?”</p><p>“Nah. You know all you can and all you need.”</p>
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    <strong>♔ ═══════ ♡ ═══════ ♕</strong>
  </h3>
</div><p>When Nora left the witchcraft shop, she felt dissatisfied with the information given to her despite how it explained quite a bit—though her dissatisfaction mostly revolved around the fact it didn’t provide her with everything she wanted to know.</p><p>Why was Maxson put in the book? What was his previous world? Why was she part of it? Why had they been separated?</p><p>Still, she had learned plenty: she’d learned that she and Maxson were from another world—the same world—and that he’d been looking for her the entire time even from within the book despite how he didn’t realize it. He’d been scouring world after world in his search until he finally came upon the right one, it seemed.</p><p>The old woman described them as having some sort of ‘fixed fate,’ or something, which really almost sounded like soulmates even though she hadn’t explicitly said that.</p><p>It almost reminded Nora of something in Plato’s <em>The Symposium.</em> There was a story in it that described how the gods had originally created humans with four arms, four legs, and a single head with two faces, but eventually felt threatened by the strength of their creation and struck them down, splitting the humans in two and damning them to live alone with their navels as the only reminder of their original forms, leaving them to feel a constant longing for their other half. </p><p>Soulmates or fixed fate or not, the reason she’d even shown up at the shop was to get information on how to free Maxson from the book—which apparently meant he had to fall in love with her. That was… not what she’d expected. And it seemed extremely difficult.</p><p>Hell, the man <em>himself</em> was difficult.</p><p>That would certainly take a whi—</p><p>Someone aggressively bumped into her shoulder and Nora’s body turned, her ankle twisting as she toppled to the ground, her bag falling beside her. She apparently hadn’t clipped it shut since last opening it, so nearly everything she had in it fell out all over the sidewalk: pens, pencils, chapstick, paper, <em>the book.</em></p><p>Whoever bumped into her turned around, eyes wide.</p><p>“Oh, shit, I’m so sorry!” A woman’s voice.</p><p>Nora rubbed her ankle before shifting onto her knees, grabbing whatever fell out of the bag. “That’s alright, I guess you’re in a hurry.”</p><p>The woman was on her knees near Nora almost immediately, helping pick stuff up and handing it to her. “Yeah, I am. Sorry. I really should have been paying attention.”</p><p>She stuffed the items back into her bag, clipping it shut this time. “It’s good. Thanks for helping,” she replied, getting back to her feet. Her ankle was a bit sore, but mostly fine.</p><p>The woman gave another apology before leaving, and Nora rubbed the back of her neck before turning and heading to her car to go home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>as many of you have probably figured out, i am very political. in fact, my political beliefs are often found in my writing with certain characters. for those of you who follow me on twitter, you've seen my politics first hand. that said, i feel it is important to bring your attention to a cause that is happening at this very moment.</p><p>right now, there are protests happening around the united states (and the world). they are in response to police brutality and in memory of george floyd, breonna taylor, tony mcdade, and all other black men and women who have been killed and harmed at the hands of police. it is extremely important to support the protests and protesters. if you, yourself, are unable to be in the streets for whatever reason, there are still plenty of ways you can help; here is a good twitter thread to guide you: <a href="https://twitter.com/gendervamp/status/1267187714052349953?s=20">click here.</a> (i don't recommend having anyone put personal information on their skin, however. put it in your phone/somewhere else it cannot be easily accessed.)</p><p>please note these protests are not related to my writing. i do not benefit from them nor anything in that link, but i do acknowledge that this is an important cause that must be supported and i am urging everyone to do that, regardless of how you support it. i am also not encouraging anyone to do anything illegal.</p><p>remember: until black lives matter, no lives matter. until brown lives matter, no lives matter. this is a struggle everyone must come together to support.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Closeness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Despite how he drove her fucking insane most of the time, she’d come to appreciate his presence, if not just because it meant she wasn’t alone in her apartment anymore, then because it meant someone was giving her attention—even if that attention was… well, not because he <em>wanted</em> to give it, but because he <em>had</em> to.</p><p>But that attention certainly made her feel good, regardless.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, you’ve been summoned… a lot.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever had to do?”</p><p>A thick eyebrow arched as Maxson flicked his gaze up to look at her over the book he was reading, staring for a long moment before finally placing the text flat on his chest and revealing the rest of his face. Nora had to hold back the grin that threatened to stretch across her lips.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Just curious.”</p><p>Sitting up from where he’d been lying on the couch, he studied her almost suspiciously. “I’m not telling you.”</p><p>“Aw, c’mon. Why not?”</p><p>“Because it’s nothing you need to know,” her summoned guest explained. “Besides, I’m allowed to have my own boundaries, so if I deem something too uncomfortable, I can refuse.”</p><p>“You know, that’s really good and I’m glad you can do that, but it still makes no sense: you get made into a sort of sex slave as punishment for something you did—which you still won’t tell me about, mind you—yet you’re allowed to have boundaries?”</p><p>He shrugged and closed the book, setting it on the table as he threw his legs off the side of the couch, then leaned back with his arms stretched over the back of it. “Like I said before, it was ensured that I received pleasure as well as gave it, though it was never made clear to me why that was.”</p><p>“Okay… so what’s the <em>best</em> thing you’ve ever had to do?” she asked.</p><p>“Why? Are you planning to replicate it?”</p><p>Her cheeks turned pink. <em>”No.”</em></p><p>When he smirked, she wanted to punch the feature right off his stupid face. “Mm… probably body worship combined with bondage. As much as it is my <em>purpose,</em> I have always enjoyed giving pleasure. Exploring my partner’s body is…” he paused and stared across the room for a moment in thought, “… Gratifying.”</p><p>Heat pooled between her thighs.</p><p>“Huh. Well, anyway, do you, uh… do you know what you want to eat for dinner?”</p><p>“You, preferably,” he answered, returning his gaze to her.</p><p>Nora’s breath hitched as she stared at him, her eyes wide; she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and her jaw just audibly snapped shut.</p><p>“But considering we already ate…” Maxson added.</p><p>
  <em>Fucking idiot, Nora.</em>
</p><p>“Right,” she breathed.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <h3>
    <strong>♔ ═══════ ♡ ═══════ ♕</strong>
  </h3>
</div><p>
Maybe this was a mistake. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was thinking inviting him into her bed, but he’d just looked so <em>uncomfortable</em> on the couch after, what, over a month of sleeping out there? Granted, he’d probably slept in much worse places, especially since he’d been in so many different worlds and time periods, but still… she was starting to feel a little bad about making him stay out there.</p><p>And considering she only had the one bed… well.</p><p>She’d made him promise not to try anything, and he’d agreed, though she wasn’t super confident he’d keep his word. Yet, as it turned out, <em>she</em> was the one who’d ended up scooting back against <em>him,</em> pressing her back against his side until he rolled over and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest and basically curling his body around her own.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p>Even with the closeness, though, he didn’t try anything else, which was a welcomed surprise, because being held was just… comforting.</p><p>But after just silently laying there for a long while, she eventually couldn’t stand the silence.</p><p>“Will you… tell me about yourself?” she quietly requested.</p><p>“I’m not sure what there is to tell,” he replied into the crook of her neck.</p><p> “I dunno.” She shrugged one shoulder just a little. “Anything, I guess. I know you like to read, but… well, I also noticed some traits you have that are, uh… pretty military-like. The way you walk and speak are very, um… commanding, I guess? Nate was the same way, just not as extreme. Were you… ever in the military?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” he answered, his voice soft. “It’s possible. But that would have been before the book, so I don’t remember.”</p><p>“Oh.” She grew quiet, thinking. “… Will you ever tell me why you were put into it?”</p><p>Maxson released an irritated noise. “The answer is still no, Nora. Please don’t press the issue.”</p><p>“Okay. Sorry,” she whispered, not wanting to upset him. Despite how he drove her fucking insane most of the time, she’d come to appreciate his presence, if not just because it meant she wasn’t alone in her apartment anymore, then because it meant someone was giving her attention—even if that attention was… well, not because he <em>wanted</em> to give it, but because he <em>had</em> to.</p><p>But that attention certainly made her feel good, regardless. </p><p>Hell, even her coworkers had noticed she wasn’t as depressed, no longer throwing herself into her work over the past month. They assumed she had someone new in her life, and some were even asking questions that she never answered. Shit, how did she explain her situation to them? How did she reveal she had a sex demon living with her who just <em>would not leave</em> until she fucked him, which she refused to do?</p><p>“Do you like being out of the book?” Nora asked, shifting a little bit.</p><p><em>Fuck,</em> it had her grinding against him, even if it was only momentary. His dick was soft, but <em>still.</em></p><p>Maxson released a long, slow exhale, the air curving around her shoulder and down her clavicle. “I suppose so. This is the longest I’ve been out at one time, so it’s… new.”</p><p>“What do you think of this world and time period?”</p><p>“Mm… it’s not much different from some of the other worlds I’ve been in. There aren’t always significant variations, for the most part. Some are more desolate, others more robust. This one seems to be the latter, as well as more technologically advanced in different aspects than other worlds I’ve seen.” He shrugged one shoulder.</p><p>But Nora was only half-listening, more focused on the fact his cock was growing hard as it was pressed against her ass. Her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth and she couldn’t stop herself from pushing back against him, not even realizing she was grinding on him until it happened—his hand was immediately on her hip, grasping, holding her still.</p><p>Neither of them spoke at first and she just tightly closed her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t comment on the fact she’d made him promise not to do anything only for <em>her</em> to make the first move; but when he just ground his hips against her ass in response, she released a quiet noise.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p>The hand on her hip was soon grabbing her chin, turning her head so she was facing him just in time for their lips to crash together in a slightly rough kiss. Before she knew it, her tanktop was pulled down beneath her breasts with her shorts just above her knees, and Maxson’s cock was pressed between her upper thighs, the length of it rubbing along her folds. He wasn’t pushing in or even trying to, only grinding against her, and already she was fucking <em>wet.</em></p><p>But…</p><p>“Arthur,” she breathed against him. “I don’t want to fuck.”</p><p>The mood changed immediately, just as she knew it would.</p><p>“Damnit, Nora,” he growled. “Stop fucking toying with me. I can’t keep doing this.”</p><p>“Wait.” She reached back and grabbed his bare hip just as he started pulling away. <em>Fuck,</em> he was just pure <em>muscle.</em> “Wait. We can still—we can still do stuff. I-I-I won’t leave you hanging this time. I promise. Just… not sex. Okay?”</p><p>The reassurance seemed to settle him as he shifted back behind her to where he’d been before, and she realized how much it must have sucked each time he’d tried to fuck her only to be left with no relief. Hell, he was probably <em>aching</em> by this point, especially considering he couldn’t masturbate. Granted, she’d never agreed to anything, but still…</p><p>Rolling over to face him, Nora slid her fingers into his beard before pressing their lips together in another kiss, which he immediately devoured. But one hand soon slid down from his face to his chest, running through the thick, dark hair along his body until she reached his cock and wrapped her fingers around it, slowly stroking. Maxson made a quiet noise against her lips that almost sounded like a purr, and it had her stomach fluttering.</p><p>The kiss broke, however, as he pushed his sweatpants down the rest of the way, tossing them off the bed, her shorts and underwear quickly following. Her summoned guest then rolled onto his back, taking her with him and forcing her legs to either side of his body so she was straddling his hips and holding herself up with her hands on the bed on either side of his chest. Their eyes met, and his tongue swept over his bottom lip as he glanced down to where her breasts were spilled over her tanktop.</p><p>“You wanna ride my face?” he asked.</p><p>Something in her stomach twisted and she eagerly nodded.</p><p>A grin stretched across his face. “I make you cum and then you suck my cock. Understood?”</p><p><em>Fuck.</em> Another eager nod.</p><p>“I want a <em>verbal</em> answer, Nora.”</p><p>“Yes. Okay. I understand,” she whispered.</p><p>Palming her breast, he gently pinched her nipple. “Good girl. That’s what I like to hear.”</p><p>With that, Maxson abruptly pulled her up his body, nearly throwing her so she landed with her core atop his face, and Nora had to catch herself on the headboard before she went head-first into it. But he wasted no time, immediately diving in and dragging his tongue up her folds, wrapping both arms around her thighs and using one hand placed on her mound to spread her lower lips open and pull the hood of her clit back, the other roughly grasping her breast. He lapped at her clit, rolling his tongue against it, the sound already loud and wet, and she was instantly gasping and moaning above him.</p><p>“Oh, <em>fuck,”</em> she mewled.</p><p>He was enthusiastic about it, there was no denying that, and she soon found her hips rolling against his mouth as he sucked her clit between his lips, his tongue flicking against the sensitive bud. Nora gripped the headboard in her hands, her eyes tightly shutting while another loud moan escaped as heat was already beginning to build in her core.</p><p>But when he released her clit, only to pull her further up his face so his tongue pushed <em>into</em> her while his nose pressed against the swollen bundle of nerves, she couldn’t stop herself from <em>full-on riding his face.</em></p><p>That was what he wanted, right?</p><p>Judging by the sounds he made, he must have been pleased.</p><p>“Fuck. Fuck, <em>yes, right there.”</em> Her breathing increased, hips quickly moving back and forth while one hand released the headboard and went down to his hair, fingers threading into the brown locks and tightly grabbing as she rode her way toward her climax. He pinched her nipple again before groping her breast a bit rougher, his head just barely turning from side-to-side in order to provide a bit more friction on her clit.</p><p>So close.</p><p>So fucking <em>close.</em></p><p>“Oh, god, I’m gonna cum!”</p><p>When she tipped over the edge, it was <em>intense.</em> Her back bowed as she leaned forward, and Maxson switched back to roughly sucking on her clit, rolling the flat of his tongue against it to extend the length of her orgasm while she trembled above him. </p><p>But it soon became <em>too sensitive,</em> and she tried to raise up to her knees to pull away, only to be held down against his face with his arms wrapped around her thighs.</p><p>“No, no, no! Too much!” she panted, pushing against his forehead.</p><p>The demon made a quiet noise, his eyes flicking up to her just as she looked down at him, and he just rolled his tongue against her one more time before letting go. Nora pulled away enough to sit back on his chest while panting heavily, and he watched her while licking his lips, his palms running up and down her thighs.</p><p>Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be rushing her to return the favor, which was good, because she <em>really needed a minute.</em> Despite how he’d eaten her out before, this time was… different. Better, somehow. Much more intense. Maybe he’d put in some more effort or something, she had no idea.</p><p>After taking a breather, though, she finally shifted around to get between his legs, and he spread his thighs a bit more to give her some room. She hadn’t gotten <em>this</em> close of a look at him before—well, not from this angle, at least—but… <em>fuck,</em> she found herself just <em>staring.</em> Slowly, Nora looked him over from between his legs, taking in the sight of his cock pressed up against his belly, how fucking <em>thick</em> he was, and just how damn good he looked overall.</p><p>Her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth again and her gaze slowly trailed up his torso until she reached his face, noticing how he had one arm bent beneath his head; but the moment their eyes met, her cheeks flushed.</p><p>“Sorry,” she murmured, looking away before finally taking ahold of his cock and slowly stroking.</p><p>Maxson gave her a slight grin, his free hand reaching down to brush some of her hair from her face, and she relaxed at the gesture, leaning down to drag the flat of her tongue along the underside of his cock.</p><p>A quiet noise rumbled from his chest as they locked gazes again, and she closed her lips around the tip, slowly bobbing her head to take more of him in. He quietly cursed beneath his breath before slipping his hand into her hair and then to the back of her head without guiding her movements.</p><p>Leaning back and down just a little so her throat was more of a straight path, Nora placed her palms on his thighs as she slid more and more of him into her mouth, soon taking the rest of his cock until her nose was buried in his groin. She swallowed around him, watching how his eyes fluttered shut as he sucked a breath between his teeth, his fingers lightly grabbing a handful of her hair.</p><p>But when she pulled off to breathe, he gently grabbed her upper arm.</p><p>“On your back.”</p><p>“Wh-what? Why? What are you doing?”</p><p>Rather than answering, Maxson yanked her up and next to him, pushing her onto her back while getting atop her to where he was straddling her ribs with his—</p><p>
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p><p>He was heavy, but most of his weight was on his knees even as he thrusted, his cock pushed between her breasts as he held them tightly around it. Nora stared up at him, her lips slightly parted, and she felt heat pool between her thighs again as he <em>fucked her tits.</em></p><p>Swallowing hard, she took over for him, grabbing onto the sides of her breasts and holding them together around his shaft. He licked his bottom lip, glancing up to her face and briefly grinning before grabbing onto the top of the headboard with one hand, his free one reaching back between her legs so his fingers could rub her clit as he kept thrusting.</p><p>It was… unexpected, to say the least. Nora gasped and spread her legs, and Maxson took that opportunity to slip two fingers into her while pressing his palm against her clit at the same time.</p><p><em>Fuck,</em> he had reach thanks to his height and thanks to her <em>lack</em> of height.</p><p>But his thrusting slowed down due to his focus on touching her, so she took it upon herself to move her tits along his shaft to make up for it—but it was <em>difficult</em> to focus through the stimulation.</p><p>Maxson’s eyes were back on her soon enough as he licked his bottom lip again before watching the head of his cock disappear and reappear between her breasts.</p><p><em>”Fuck,”</em> she breathed, her eyes tightly closing and head tipping back. She couldn’t stop rolling her hips into his hand.</p><p>“Eyes on me,” he ordered.</p><p>Immediately, Nora looked back up at him, brows furrowed.</p><p>“I want you to cum for me again. Can you do that?”</p><p>Quickly, Nora nodded. “Yes.”</p><p>“Yes, <em>Sir,”</em> he corrected.</p><p><em>’Sir’?</em> What kind of—</p><p>“Say it, Nora,” he growled.</p><p>Swallowing hard, she nodded again. “Yes, Sir.”</p><p>Something washed over his face that she couldn’t quite pinpoint, but it was brief, and he quickly shook his head, returning his attention to touching her. Heat was already coiling between her thighs, and it wasn’t long before everything unraveled, her legs snapping shut around his hand as she keened, back arching up into him.</p><p>“There you go,” he purred, pulling his hand away so he could return to fucking her tits. “I like the sound of that.”</p><p><em>Fuck,</em> he was driving her insane.</p><p>After a few seconds of thrusting, Maxson climbed off the bed, pulling her up and off to where she was on the floor on her knees, and she immediately took him back in her mouth, sucking and bobbing her head, working to please him. </p><p>But it wasn’t enough for him, it seemed, because he was soon requesting to fuck her face, to which she had no desire to deny him; and with one hand threaded into her hair, the other beneath her chin, he didn’t hold back.</p><p>Nora kept her eyes on him just as he’d ordered, though he didn’t always reciprocate, sometimes closing his own as he relished in the feeling of fucking her mouth, other times looking at the way her lips stretched around his girth. She let her hands roam his thighs, stomach, and chest, but eventually grabbed ahold of his hips when he became rougher to steady herself.</p><p>It wasn’t long before he reached his end, but she was given no warning before being pulled against his groin and forced to deepthroat his cock as he came. She swallowed around him as much as she could, her nails digging into the skin on his hips and coaxing even more groans from him that accompanied the ones with his climax. However, because there was no warning, she was soon gagging—but he didn’t let her off.</p><p>Instead, both hands were on the back of her head and held her against him. “Swallow it,” he growled.</p><p>Tightly closing her eyes, she swallowed again, then once more, before pushing at him, to which he finally released her. Nora sat back on her knees coughing and gasping for air, though at least she’d successfully swallowed every last drop.</p><p>By the time she regained herself, he was crouched in front of her, his thumb and forefinger taking ahold of her chin and turning her head back to face him. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to her lips.</p><p>“Very good girl,” he quietly praised.</p><p>“Thank you, Sir.”</p><p>Maxson’s brows furrowed just a bit as he studied her face, but he eventually pulled his hand away and stood up. “You still want to sleep?”</p><p>Her eyes were on his half-hard cock considering it was <em>right there.</em> “Uhhh… yeah.”</p><p>Suddenly, she was picked up and set on the bed like she didn’t weigh a thing, and it had her stomach twisting yet again, but they were soon laying down like before with his body curled around her, his chest flush against her back.</p><p>The closeness, comfort, and security were what had her falling asleep not long after.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry it took me so long!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Search</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nora didn’t stop there, though. She searched the rest of the apartment—pulling up the couch cushions, looking behind and beneath the furniture, inside drawers, beneath other items, in closets, and more. And by the time she was done looking, she’d scoured the entire place, ransacking her home to the point where everything was left a mess and destroyed as if someone had broken in, but she’d still found nothing.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’d been five days since Maxson went back into the book.</p>
<p>She wasn’t sure how long it took him to disappear after they’d fucked around, but she knew it’d happened after she’d fallen asleep.</p>
<p>Waking up alone wasn’t ideal—it never was, really—but she’d gotten used to it by this point in time, so it wasn’t anything new. After Nate died almost a year ago, sleeping in her husband’s absence was difficult to handle, and she’d gone night after night without getting more than a couple hours, but eventually grew accustomed to sharing the bed with only herself. Of course, Piper noticed, which was when Max came into the picture a few months ago after her best friend surprised her with the young feline; admittedly, having kitten made everything a little more bearable. Still, falling asleep with another person holding her after so long of not having that privilege… it would have been nice to wake up in someone’s arms, too.</p>
<p>When Nora roused on Monday morning, she’d felt good, only to feel a bit alone due to waking up without someone beside her. It was the first day sans-Maxson, so it was a new sort of sensation all over again considering the man had been sitting around her apartment for over a month. But she’d thought she wasn’t <em>that</em> attached, so she’d figured she’d be fine soon enough.</p>
<p>Monday night hit a little harder when she’d gotten home from work and no one was there to greet her; plus, she’d had to cook dinner for only herself and no one else. Well, she <em>should</em> have only made dinner for herself, but ended up making dinner for two, anyway.</p>
<p>Tuesday was a bit worse and was when she’d started glancing at her bag, which was where the book was at.</p>
<p>Wednesday was even worse than Tuesday.</p>
<p>Thursday was horrible.</p>
<p>And by Friday morning, she was dragging. Nora felt depressed and alone, like she’d lost someone all over again—and hadn’t she, to some extent?</p>
<p>Her bag remained on the table where she’d left it since the last time that she’d visited the witchcraft shop, having been avoiding opening it or even <em>looking at it,</em> instead throwing herself into her work as much as possible. She used a different bag for her job, so that wasn’t an issue, but knew that if she gave into temptation and opened <em>that</em> one, she’d see the spellbook and it would only persuade her to try to summon him again because she missed his presence.</p>
<p>It was lonely by herself in her apartment, after all.</p>
<p>And considering Piper had been busy, and Nora hadn’t told her best friend that Maxson was gone…</p>
<p>The work week came and went, and when Friday evening rolled around, she thought things would start to look up and that she’d be fine since she’d had time to cope. The decision to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with Max and some popcorn was made after she got home from work and showered, but she hadn’t even decided on what movie to watch nor gotten the popcorn from the cabinet by the time she found herself at the table, opening her bag and pulling the book out, not even realizing what she was doing until it was too late.</p>
<p>But as she grasped it, her thumbs running over the front cover and binding, the realization that something was wrong hit her straight in the face like a ton of bricks.</p>
<p>The book in her hands was unfamiliar. Its binding and cover were not leather and the words on the front were not written in Latin; instead, the material was a dark-colored plastic, its words written in English, but the item was just of a similar weight. </p>
<p>Like a placeholder.</p>
<p>Her breath hitched, and it felt like her chest was about to cave in.</p>
<p>Dropping the counterfeit spellbook, Nora picked up her bag and dumped it out on the table in front of her as if the <em>real</em> book was somehow hidden inside, shaking the bag so everything fell from its confines at once—but the only things that fell out were pens, pencils, chapstick, a few loose papers, and other random items. No books.</p>
<p>“No, no, no, no, no! What the <em>fuck!?</em> Where the fuck is it!?”</p>
<p>Panic immediately set in, her pulse rapidly beating in her ears like an unsteady kickdrum. Frantically, the lawyer pushed some items off the table, searching beneath a few other things before she charged her way into the living room and scoured her bookshelf to see if it was shoved in there. Maybe Maxson had moved it? Maybe he’d tucked it away somewhere before going back inside it?</p>
<p>“Come on, come on, <em>come on!</em> Where are you!?” she panted, tossing each book onto a pile on the floor after she looked at its cover, but none of them matched what she was looking for. </p>
<p>Nora didn’t stop there, though. She searched the rest of the apartment—pulling up the couch cushions, looking behind and beneath the furniture, inside drawers, beneath other items, in closets, and more. And by the time she was done looking, she’d scoured the entire place, ransacking her home to the point where everything was left a mess and destroyed as if someone had broken in, but she’d still found nothing. There was no trace of the spellbook.</p>
<p>
  <em>”Hello?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Piper,” Nora sobbed into her phone as she held it against the side of her face. Her breathing was heavy, and her cheeks were wet with tears as she sat on the floor of her bedroom with her back against the closed closet door. A few boxes had been dragged out of the closet and their items scattered around her—books, newspaper clippings, pictures, folders. “I c—I can’t find him.”</p>
<p>
  <em>”What? You can’t find who?”</em>
</p>
<p>“M-Maxson. He—he went back in the book and n-now I can’t f-f-find him. He’s gone.”</p>
<p>
  <em>”Wait. He went back in the book, but what do you mean he’s gone? The book is gone?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Yeah. Th-the book’s gone, Pipes. It’s—it’s fucking gone. I-I’ve looked everywhere. I’ve destroyed the fucking ap-apar-apartment looking for him,” Nora cried. “Everything. Even—even Nate’s stuff.”</p>
<p>Her eyes fell to one of the pictures on the floor of her late husband; it was one of the last she’d taken of him: he was shirtless, laying in bed, half-asleep, but smiling over at her.</p>
<p>And she’d just torn all his things—all of their memories—out of the closet in search of a book that held another man inside it. </p>
<p>Another man she was desperately looking for because she was fucking <em>lonely.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>”Jesus, Nora.”</em>
</p>
<p>“I don’t know what to do.” Nora tightly closed her eyes and grabbed a fistful of her hair. “I-I fucked up. So bad.”</p>
<p>
  <em>”Okay, listen to me. I need you to breathe, in and out. And then when you calm down, you’re gonna go to the shop, alright? I’m working late tonight, but I’ll come see you after. You hear me?”</em>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <h3>
    <strong>♔ ═══════ ♡ ═══════ ♕</strong>
  </h3>
</div><p>It felt like forever by the time she’d finally calmed down.</p>
<p>She’d initially planned to leave for the witchcraft shop as soon as she was able to breathe and think, but because of the panic attack she’d experienced, she went through an adrenaline crash immediately afterward and ended up falling asleep for a couple hours. Of course, upon awakening, <em>then</em> she left for the shop.</p>
<p>There was still plenty of time before businesses were closing for the night, anyway.</p>
<p>Parking in the same area as the last two times, Nora quickly walked the small distance to the little shop that was tucked between two larger stores. But as soon as she reached it, she was greeted with darkened windows and a large, red sign on the front of the door’s glass.</p>
<p>
  <strong></strong>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <strong>CLOSED FOR BUSINESS</strong>
  </p>
</div><p>The sign looked old and dusty, like it’d been there for a while—she <em>definitely</em> didn’t remember it being there last time—and Nora paused with her hand on the knob as she stood outside the building.</p>
<p>“… Closed? No, that’s not—” Twisting the handle, the door freely opened, and she furrowed her eyebrows before carefully stepping inside. “Closed but <em>unlocked,”</em> she mumbled.</p>
<p>The entire place was filled with dust, but it looked nothing like what she’d seen the last two times she’d been inside. There were no standalone shelves, no display cases, no counter in the back, no bobbles, no bookshelves, no old lady. It was all just… empty space. Dust and dirt and grime covered the entire area, and a few mice in the back corner scattered the moment she walked in, fleeing through a hole they’d chewed in the wall probably quite some time ago.</p>
<p>“This doesn’t make any sense,” the lawyer whispered to herself.</p>
<p>She’d been at the shop within the past couple weeks, hadn’t she? How had the shop owner gotten everything out so quickly, <em>including</em> the shelves? Why did everything look so dirty, like no one had been inside for years? </p>
<p>And what the hell was she supposed to do now?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>added another chapter to the total because I split this chapter into two</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Shopping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He released her arm and that same hand lifted to her face, his index finger touching beneath her chin and tilting her head up just a little before his thumb brushed over her bottom lip. “You want me so bad that you think you’re hallucinating, little girl?”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nora’s colleagues had expressed multiple concerns about her over the past few weeks. She’d been depressed again, and the initial gossip around the office that she’d found someone new eventually turned into that she’d <em>lost</em> that someone new, probably through a breakup. They weren’t wrong, really; not entirely. She had found someone new, and she had lost that same someone, just not in the way they thought.</p><p>But after everything that had happened, she’d struggled to even focus, let alone meet her daily goals. The owner of the firm had convinced her to leave early and take the rest of the morning and weekend to herself, so long as she promised him that she’d talk to someone come Monday morning. The guy—Garvey—was nice and super sweet, and he showed a lot of concern for her, but he’d never understand her situation nor the fact she couldn’t simply talk to a therapist about it. Still, she took him up on the offer and left early, figuring she’d stop by the store on the way home to pick up a few items for dinner.</p><p>Dinner for one, of course, because Maxson still wasn’t around to cook for any longer.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p>Did she really even feel like cooking, though? Maybe just something simple, like macaroni and cheese.</p><p>But as she was throwing a couple boxes into the cart and debating on whether she wanted to grab a bottle of wine to help get her through the weekend—because macaroni and cheese and wine went well together, right?—she paused before turning on her heels to head back down the aisle and grab something else that was a few steps behind her, only to run face-first into another person.</p><p>“Jesus<em>fuck,”</em> Nora shrieked as she stumbled back into her cart while the other person didn’t even budge; her upper arm was firmly grabbed to keep her from falling back on her ass. <em>”Why</em> would you stand—”</p><p>She was suddenly eye-level with a broad chest covered by a thin, white V-neck shirt, where dark chest hair peeked out of the dip in the collar.</p><p>“—Right—”</p><p>Her gaze slowly lifted until she was greeted by a thick, brown beard.</p><p>“—There…?” she whispered, finally finishing her question.</p><p>Two familiar, sky blue eyes peered down at her and a wide grin stretched across his face.</p><p>“Oh, god, I’m hallucinating now,” Nora mumbled. “This is getting so much worse.”</p><p>“Hallucinating?”</p><p><em>”So much worse,”</em> she groaned.</p><p>He released her arm and that same hand lifted to her face, his index finger touching beneath her chin and tilting her head up just a little before his thumb brushed over her bottom lip. “You want me so bad that you think you’re hallucinating, little girl?”</p><p>Something in her chest ached as she nearly melted all over the floor, and she couldn’t stop herself from touching him just to make sure he was <em>there.</em> Nora yanked at his shirt, pulling it up and feeling his bare stomach and chest and sides, touching his face, tugging his jeans away from his hips to look down in them. The entire time, she was only met with a grin as he let her do what she wanted while he watched, seeming to have no issue with her actions.</p><p>“Oh, god,” she breathed. “You’re real, aren’t you?” He shrugged one shoulder. “But… <em>how?”</em> The book… it was—”</p><p>His lips parted to answer, but something seemed to catch his attention and he looked up and to the side, his grin fading. “Mm… I have to go.”</p><p>“What!? No!” she protested, grabbing onto his shirt. “You—you can’t! I thought you were gone!”</p><p>Maxson’s thumb brushed over her bottom lip again. “Be good,” he murmured before gently prying her hands off him and stepping away.</p><p>Dumbfounded, her lips parted, and she turned to watch him leave, her head shaking. “No, no, no, that’s—that’s not—I <em>can’t—“</em></p><p>But he was gone around the corner.</p><p>She wasn’t about to accept that.</p><p>Gritting her teeth, Nora abandoned her cart and quickly gave chase, stopping at the end of the aisle to peek around it and see where he’d gone; but when she didn’t find him, she kept going, glancing down each one until she finally spotted him. He wasn’t hard to identify given the fact he was tall—and it appeared he wasn’t alone, either. It looked like he was with a woman, but Nora was unable to see her face; plus, there were other people in the aisle, too.</p><p>Maxson briefly locked eyes with her, seeming to know she was following, before he turned and trailed after the other woman as they walked to the opposite end of the aisle and around the corner, Nora tailing after them. </p><p>She followed the two throughout the store, going down aisle after aisle, the woman seemingly unaware of Nora’s presence, though Maxson only occasionally glanced in her direction. It must have looked creepy, but she didn’t care to think about it, instead trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible so as to not get caught—mostly pretending to look at things on end caps as if she was reading labels but never actually buying anything or even holding onto it for long. </p><p>“Is there anything I can help you with?”</p><p>“What!?”</p><p>“Oh, I am so very sorry. I did not mean to startle you.” A woman with short brown hair and a thick accent stood a couple feet to Nora’s right, shying away a little. “I was simply offering my assistance.”</p><p>Fuck. She must have worked there. Nora really wasn’t trying to be an asshole, and she really didn’t <em>want</em> to be an asshole, either, especially to an employee who was only doing their job. She just had her mind on other things, specifically—goddamnit, <em>where the fuck did he go?</em></p><p>“No, I’m good, thank you.”</p><p>“Very well, madame. If you should need assistance, I will only be over here.”</p><p>With a polite nod, Nora darted away and went back to looking for Maxson, searching through the aisles, and just barely missed seeing him walking out the door with the woman he was following. Nora gave chase, though still kept a distance, and followed them right into the parking lot and all the way to the car they’d drove to the store in.</p><p>Which was the last chance she had.</p><p>She pounced.</p><p>As his new summoner was loading bags into the trunk of her car while Maxson leaned against the side of the vehicle rather than helping, Nora approached the woman.</p><p>“Who are you and how did you get him?” she asked.</p><p>One of the bags dropped to the ground, something inside it breaking open, and the woman spun around to face her. “Wh-what!?”</p><p>“Who are you? And how did you get <em>him?”</em> Nora repeated, pointing to Maxson who was seemingly uninterested in what was happening.</p><p>His new summoner glanced back at him, then returned her gaze to Nora. “I-I didn’t… I don’t know what…”</p><p>“Wait, I know you,” Nora growled, stepping closer. Recognition was setting in, but not of the woman’s face—her <em>voice.</em> “You bumped into me outside the—outside the shop, didn’t you? You <em>stole</em> the book from me after knocking it out of my bag!”</p><p>“Listen, Nora—”</p><p>“And you <em>know my name!?”</em></p><p>“I can—I can explain everything. Just… give me a chance, okay?” </p><p>But at that point, Nora was seeing red, and before she even knew what was happening, her closed fist connected with the other woman’s nose, a sickening <em>crack</em> and cries of pain following it as the thief was sent back against her open car trunk, grasping her face as blood gushed from the wound. </p><p>From there, Nora grabbed the woman’s bag from the cart that was still sitting close by, taking the chance that what she was looking for might be in there and unclasping it and looking inside for only a brief second until she tugged the book out of it. Relief crashed over her like a tidal wave as her fingers ran over the Latin wording on the front before she protectively cradled the book against her chest. It didn’t matter why this lady was carrying the book around with her, even to the damned grocery store, just that Nora now had it back in her possession.</p><p>With a quick look at Maxson—who hadn’t even bothered moving nor reacting at all—she jerked her head in the direction of her own car.</p><p>“Come on,” she ordered.</p><p>“Weren’t you shopping?” he reminded her as he pushed off the car and started to follow.</p><p>“Not anymore. We’re going home.”</p>
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